Coronavirus: Iran, the regime before the people?

An Iranian woman wearing a mask and gloves walks in front of graffiti in Tehran, April 13, 2020. ATTA KENARE / AFP

Text by: Sami Boukhelifa Follow | Oriane Verdier Follow

The scene is surreal. On February 24, the Iranian Deputy Minister of Health appeared on television during a press conference. Iraj Harirchi, tries to reassure about the coronavirus epidemic. Failure. He is himself feverish, sweating profusely and has all the symptoms of a flu. The next day he tested positive for Covid-19. At that time, Iran was already the second country most affected by the disease, behind China. But three days earlier, and despite the risks involved, the Islamic Republic maintained the parliamentary elections.

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Now confined to his home in Tehran, the young Mirza * did not budge. “Our leaders were aware of the epidemic risks, and yet they asked us to vote a month ago, on February 21 without any protection or any measure of social distancing. It was then that the virus spread throughout the country, " protested the man who insisted on keeping his identity secret, for security reasons.

“The Iranian regime only lies. All that matters to him are his own interests. To stay in power, he needs to show that he is in control, even if it means sacrificing everyone , ” said the young man. Exasperated, he says he no longer trusts the authorities of his country. " Last November, people demonstrated against the Iranian leaders and what was the response of the government? Repression. Then there was the case of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, eliminated by the Americans. And again what was the regime's response? Wanting revenge, he shot down the plane of Ukraine Airlines, with on board almost a hundred Iranians! How do you trust these people? ", He pleads.

Mirza has only left her apartment twice since the start of confinement and communicates via encrypted messaging. He feels “terrified” of the idea of ​​contracting the coronavirus. And especially dreads being hospitalized, when his country is in dire need of medical equipment.

Today, bitter, he still remembers this February and this famous press conference of the Deputy Minister of Health. Iraj Harirchi, visibly ill, conscientiously denying rumors, peddled by an Iranian deputy from Qom. The ultra-conservative elected official was actually trying to alert the authorities. Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, had mentioned the death of fifty people in his city, who died from "viral pneumonia". The Deputy Minister had then "promised to resign", if this figure was confirmed.

The holy cities, epicenter of the coronavirus in Iran

Machhad and Qom are the two main holy cities in Iran. Each year millions of Shiite pilgrims gather in the shrines of Imam Reza (Machhad) and Fatima Maasoumeh (Qom). Religious, men, women and children crowd the tombs of these descendants of the prophet of Islam.

Like all places of pilgrimage, these two cities are also considered as strong commercial places. Trade with the countries of the region, and in particular with China, is very important.

That same February 24, while Tehran was trying to reassure, Kuwait, Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman and Iraq, announced that they had detected their first cases of infection with the coronavirus. These are people who have traveled to Iran. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health even specifies that the three nationals tested positive for the virus returned from Machhad.

The days pass and the Iranian authorities are still blurring. At the top of the state, the confusion is total. Some politicians even end up accusing "illegal immigrants who entered the country illegally from Pakistan, Afghanistan and China" , of having imported the virus. Others refer to "a Qom trader who made several trips to Wuhan" , the main focus of the epidemic in China.

Lack of transparency, concealment? The whistleblower, the ultra-conservative MP for Qom, publicly lets out his anger. "Unfortunately, the coronavirus arrived in Qom three weeks ago and it was announced too late," Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani finally denounced in late February.

Many in Iran accuse the authorities of having kept the coronavirus crisis secret, in order to maintain the legislative elections on Friday, February 21 .

Voting day in Tehran

This election Friday, the coronavirus is not making the headlines in Iran. The day before, the authorities admitted lip service to the existence of four cases, 150 km from the Iranian capital. So, in the most populous city in the Middle East, no one really cares. It must be said that Tehran has other concerns. Strangled by the increasingly severe American sanctions over the past two years, part of the population is now questioning the Iranian authorities. The street denounces the corruption of an elite disconnected from the misery of the people. And the record abstention rate announced promises a clear victory for the Conservatives. It would be the start of a political shift, after two terms of reformist President Hassan Rohani, in office until 2021.

Early that morning, the most convinced citizens still went to the polling stations. Journalists, voters and candidates are scrambling. There is no voting booth. Each one discusses with his neighbor the candidates, what name to write on the ballot to slip into the ballot box. No specific measures are put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus. A young girl in a chador presents her birth certificate. Like everyone else, she dips her finger in the ink pot. "This is the first time I have voted," she explains. "It is important to me because I want to fight against the corruption that plagues the country. I'm going to vote for the Conservatives, ”she says, hopeful.

Nearby, in a park, the atmosphere is quite different. Families stroll under the mild winter sun. Disillusioned, they will not go to vote.

In short, it is an election day like any other in Tehran. Life takes its course, as if nothing had happened. Not once have we heard of the coronavirus when night falls on the capital. Back in a deserted polling station, a young woman in charge of organizing the elections hesitates, however, before shaking hands. " We were told to be careful, because of the coronavirus . " The start of a late awareness?

Voluntary confinement

Once the electoral sequence has passed, the schools converted to polling stations will keep their doors closed. Tehran finally seems to take the measure of the gravity of the situation. Decisions are taken: ban on gatherings, teleworking, or even partial presence of officials in the administrations.

The confinement of the population remains voluntary. Objective: not to aggravate the economic crisis which affects the country.

On March 5, the Iranian Minister of Health appeared on television. "Schools and universities will remain closed until the end of the (Iranian) year , March 19," said Said Namaki. "Everything will soon be back to normal," attempts to reassure President Hassan Rohani on a regular basis.

But his government seems hesitant. The Iranian executive gives ambiguous instructions. Initially, travel within the country is not recommended, but not prohibited. Despite the risk of the virus spreading, millions of Iranians then hit the road during the holiday of Norouz (Iranian New Year) on March 20.

At the end of the month, the country is prostrate. One person dies every ten minutes from coronavirus.

Every day, the official balance sheet reports one hundred and fifty deaths. These statistics, these figures are not reliable. They are far from reality. Here, nobody believes it, " saysMirza, our first witness.

The confinement will last until April 11. Since then, the authorities have allowed the gradual reopening of shops and interregional travel.

But still today, schools, universities, mosques, Shiite shrines, cinemas, stadiums and other gathering places remain closed throughout the country, which lives to the rhythm of Ramadan and social distancing.

* The first name has been changed

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  • Coronavirus: the response, country by country
  • Iran
  • Coronavirus
  • Confinement
  • Health and Medicine

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