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Iran has tightened its fight against Covid-19 to the extreme. Iran's Attorney General, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri , has suggested on Sunday the possibility of condemning to death for "interrupting" health efforts to contain the coronavirus in the epicenter of the regional outbreak. The news is known the same day that the state radio has announced the death of Mohammad Mirmohammadi , one of the closest advisers to Supreme Leader Ali Jamenei , victim of this disease.
"I thank His Excellency and all his colleagues on the front of the fight against the coronavirus, including doctors and nurses, as well as assistants and other participants," Montazeri's letter to Health Minister Said Namaki , published by the Mizan agency, begins. "The disruption of the public health system," he adds, "is not only seen as a crime against the physical integrity of people, but it receives a penalty comparable to that of the crime of spreading corruption on earth."
This crime, described in chapter nine of the Iranian penal code, is one of the most criticized by human rights defenders because it contemplates the possibility of condemning the defendant to death , although it also allows minor punishments to be applied, depending on the interpretation of the judge. The Attorney General's initiative comes after Namaki denounces that only one million, of the 200 million masks commissioned by his ministry, had arrived; The rest ended up in the black market .
With Iran already registering 66 deaths and more than 1,500 patients with the viral strain of Wuhan, which has become one of the countries most affected by the epidemic, the population tries to cope with the situation by taking exceptional measures, such as avoiding crowds and homebound . The general mistrust of the Government, accused by some of tackling the crisis late, has raised anxiety and the consequent desperate search for sanitary means, with what a few have done in August.
After almost two weeks since the public knowledge of the outbreak, the authorities have intensified their measures. Educational centers are kept closed, collective prayers have been canceled and work schedules restricted for the civil servant . Since numerous private companies have also opted to reduce their schedules or telecommuting, cities usually congested as Tehran, the capital, show a rare calm these days. In hospitals, however, you work piecework.
The almighty Revolutionary Guard have declared war on the coronavirus, literally announcing the creation of a headquarters against the ailment . Riot trucks, image of protests such as those of the demolition of the Ukrainian plane, are used these days to disperse jets of disinfectant on streets and cars. Members of the body loyal to the Supreme Guide disinfect public transport. Its affiliate organizations are thoroughly employed in providing sanitary material.
As he did at the beginning of the year, after the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, the ruling party uses military language to congregate the nation on a common front. But, unlike then, this is not against the US, but with a microscopic threat. National media and social networks serve for health professionals to express their commitment to defend the country from the coronavirus, at the cost of their personal sacrifice.
This Monday, the Judiciary has joined the fight by opening a front against the irregular sale of health products. "To monopolize sanitary goods at the present time is to play with people's lives and cannot be tolerated," said cleric Ibrahim Raisi , who is responsible. As he explained, the Prosecutor's Office has requested the arrest of more than 20 people after discovering undeclared product stores, which were confiscated and delivered to the Ministry of Health for distribution.
Raisi has also advocated a control of the production, distribution and sale chain to avoid the increase in the price of medical devices that can be considered "abusive." A measure that seeks to guarantee majority access in a country hit by draconian sanctions in the US, which have severely affected the domestic economy in general and, in particular, the health sector. Although the acquisition of medicines and medical equipment in principle is not sanctioned, that bank transfers are to pay them makes it impossible.
Washington's punishment caused the nuclear agreement to end in a coma. But the United Kingdom, France and Germany , also signatories, have seen in the current crisis an opportunity to oxygenate it. The three countries have announced on Monday, in a statement, the urgent delivery of a "broad" package of medical supplies, as well as about five billion euros of financial aid to combat Covid-19. All this will be channeled through the World Health Organization , deployed in the country.
WHO's mission in Iran has begun with problems. As reported Monday, one of its members has contracted the coronavirus . It was on the same day that a cargo plane from Dubai, chartered by the entity, has landed in Tehran with seven and a half tons of products such as sterile gloves, surgical masks and respiratory kits. An aid that will not only serve the population but also, experts say, can serve as a starting point to disrupt political relations after months of turmoil.
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