Rights advocacy groups are calling the incarcerations and capital punishments a “retaliatory” action for physicians’ refusal to disregard critically harmed demonstrators.
Protests in Iran / © Associated Press
A surge of detentions targeting doctors and medical volunteers who offered aid to those wounded during the suppression of demonstrations against the government persists within Iran.
This is being reported by The Guardian.
In the last week alone, no fewer than nine doctors and volunteers have been seized, with security personnel raiding improvised medical clinics and conducting searches of residences of doctors who had treated wounded protestors.
Per the Norwegian human rights organization Hengaw, Iranian officials have indicted 52-year-old surgeon Alireza Golchini with “mohareb” – meaning “enmity against God,” an offense punishable by death.
Iran Human Rights reports that one detainee was a volunteer who established a first aid post within his own residence. His apprehension followed a search in which security officers discovered evidence of providing care to over 20 injured demonstrators. Subsequently, two of those individuals died.
The US Department of State has urged Tehran to immediately liberate the incarcerated doctors. The statement indicated that President Donald Trump is against deploying capital punishment against protestors and cautions Iranian authorities about accountability should further crackdowns occur.
What is publicly known regarding the Iranian protests?
Mass demonstrations have been ongoing within Iran since December 28, ignited by financial measures. During the previous year, the Iranian rial depreciated to half its prior value versus the dollar, and inflation surpassed 40% by December 2025. The demonstrations subsequently broadened to include universities and regional cities, adopting an anti-government stance.
According to media accounts, fatalities resulting from the Iranian protests have risen to five thousand. Among these, 500 are members of the security forces. The highest incidence of deaths occurred during protests located in northeastern Iran, where some of the most intense confrontations transpired.
The Iranian government has essentially disconnected the nation from the global Internet, thereby denying approximately 93 million citizens network access, and is planning to transition to a confined national digital system.
Trump has vowed to deliver a “forceful” response to the killings of Iranian protesters, thereby intensifying global scrutiny of the circumstances.