{"id":217500,"date":"2020-04-30T14:26:58","date_gmt":"2020-04-30T13:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=217500"},"modified":"2023-01-23T18:15:10","modified_gmt":"2023-01-23T17:15:10","slug":"iran-regimes-hiding-extent-of-covid-19-infection-results-in-a-missive-spike-in-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/human-rights\/iran-regimes-hiding-extent-of-covid-19-infection-results-in-a-missive-spike-in-deaths\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran Regime\u2019s Hiding Extent of COVID-19 Infection, Results in a Missive Spike in Deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_217502\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-217502\" style=\"width: 639px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Iran-coronavirus12\" class=\"size-full wp-image-217502\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Iran-coronavirus12.jpg\" alt=\"Iran Regime\u2019s Hiding Extent of COVID-19 Infection, results in a Missive Spike in Deaths \" width=\"639\" height=\"395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Iran-coronavirus12.jpg 639w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Iran-coronavirus12-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Iran-coronavirus12-356x220.jpg 356w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-217502\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iran: Coronavirus outbreak<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Iran<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0is on track toward a resurgence of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/actual-number-of-coronavirus-fatalities-compared-with-iran-regimes-figures\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">coronavirus infection<\/a> that\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">will at least<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0doubles the existing death toll. That\u2019s even worse than it sounds. The Iranian\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">regime<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0reported that fewer than 6,000 people have died from\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">COVID-19<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0so far. But reliable independent sources suggested that the actual death toll is more than six times that number.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/pmoi-mek\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI, Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MEK)<\/a> announced on Wednesday, that the coronavirus has so far claimed the lives of <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/ncri-statements\/iran-coronavirus-death-toll-exceeds-37200-in-306-cities\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">37,200 people<\/a> in 306 cities across Iran.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Iran: Coronavirus Death Toll Exceeds 37,200 in 306 Cities <br \/>The People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI \/ MEK) announced this afternoon, April 29, that the number of victims of the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Coronavirus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Coronavirus<\/a> in 306 cities in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a> has exceeded 37,200. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#COVID19<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RRawdFFGbR\">https:\/\/t.co\/RRawdFFGbR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1255571655172280320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 29, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The mullahs\u2019 regime<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0has\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">maintained a<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0veil of secrecy over the outbreak since it began. This was made immediately evident with the late announcement of the first fatal<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0domestic<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0cases. Documents prepared by the National Emergency Organization and later obtained by the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ncr-iran.org\/en\/alternative\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Council of Resistance of Iran<\/a><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0(NCRI)<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0indicate that the fi<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">rst<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0C<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">OVID<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">-19<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0infections<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0were known to the Iranian regime before the end of January. Yet it was not until February 19 that\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">regime\u2019s<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0officials\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">even\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">acknowledged an outbreak was active.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In all likelihood, the death toll was already substantially higher at that time. By the end of February, regime officials had begrudgingly raised the death toll from two to 12. But at the same time, at least one local official broke\u00a0ranks\u00a0with the regime by announcing that over 50 fatalities had already been recorded in the city of Qom alone.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It quickly became apparent that Qom, a southern Iranian \u201choly city,\u201d was the epicenter of the outbreak in\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the country<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. And as instances of coronavirus infection continued to be recorded into March, it also became clear that the\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">impact was reaching far beyond Iran\u2019s borders.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Few restrictions on domestic travel were put into place, while shrines and tourist attractions remained open in Qom and other cities. Before the surrounding countries were fully aware of the extent of the Iranian outbreak, infected individuals had traveled to Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, and a host of other countries. Some early cases in Canada could be traced <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">to Iran under mullahs\u2019 rule<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, as well, underscoring the threat posed to the entire globe by an uncontrolled and underreported outbreak, even in a country that is relatively isolated from the international community.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">After more than three months of active infection, Iran shows no sign of either bringing its outbreak under control or opening up to the world about its true extent. Persons who use social media or foreign news outlets to spread the word about their own experiences with\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">COVID-19<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0are still subject to arrest for \u201crumor-mongering.\u201d Several such arrests have been carried out, some of them targeting Iranian doctors and nurses who dare to describe an overwhelmed healthcare system in which\u00a0individuals\u00a0hospitals routinely lose dozens of patients per day.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">These stories are wildly out-of-step with the official narratives being presented by the clerical regime. The narratives have become steadily more sophisticated, but no more accurate. The sophistication is necessary to justify steps that the regime is currently taking to reverse social distancing measures, even though those measures were put into place too late, were too short in duration, and were surprisingly weakly enforced, given the regime\u2019s penchant for the violent repression of dissent.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Accurate reporting of the death toll and infection rate would naturally undermine the\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">regime\u2019s return<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">-to-work\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">orders or<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0would at least expose the mullahs to even greater public outrage amidst the inevitable next wave of\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">COVID-19<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0cases. Toward that end,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the regime\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">authorities have erroneously reported the causes of death for thousands of patients, sometimes passing off the coronavirus as influenza and sometimes attributing the death to proximate causes while ignoring the underlying infections. A recent report from the\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">MEK\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">detailed this phenomenon as well as the regime\u2019s practice of hastily burying victims to forestall further investigation and its emerging habit of \u201cclumsily mimicking the European countries\u201d in order to report superficially plausible declines in the mortality rate.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Of course, these declines\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">aren\u2019t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0actually plausible\u00a0when one considers the differences between the crises in\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Iran<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">in\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">its Western\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">countries<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. In the US and Europe, there is reliable transparency in line with the entrenched values of those governments and their people. In Iran, there is a tendency toward secrecy even under the best of conditions. And the conditions that enabled the spread of <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">COVID-19<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0are downright catastrophic.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To the extent that Tehran acknowledges these differences, it would have the world believe that the problems stem from US sanctions. Indeed, even while they deny the scale of the outbreak and insist they have it well under control, the\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">regime\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">authorities<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and mullahs\u2019 apologists outside of Iran\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">continue to reach out to the United Nations and the European Union with claims that\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">regime\u2019s<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0healthcare system is being held back by the sanctions.\u00a0In reality, those\u00a0measures have never targeted medicine other humanitarian goods. Neither have they deprived Tehran of access to the cash it needs to support its people, keep them isolated from one another, and flatten the curve.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Additional reports from the\u00a0<\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/pmoi-mek\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">MEK<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ncr-iran.org\/en\/alternative\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NCRI<\/a> have outlined the financial resources that are currently available to powerful entities like Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The latter has been formally put in charge of the coronavirus response but has yet to dip in<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">to the massive holdings of Khatam al-<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Anbia<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a conglomerate under the hardline paramilitary\u2019s direct control.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Between this and a network of religious foundations directly controlled by Khamenei, the regime\u2019s leadership has hundreds of billions of dollars at its disposal. Barely one billion has been made available to the public\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">in the midst of<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0this\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">crisis, with no proof that it has been indeed used to help people<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, while the rest remains in reserve for future use in the regime\u2019s malign activities. Redirecting this money to the coronavirus response would, of course, be a better means of controlling the public\u2019s rage than the current, desperate bid to hide the death toll. But it would also leave\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the regime<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0without an argument for the necessity of sanctions relief, and it would effectively expose the extent to which the regime has always prioritized its own ambitions over the welfare of people.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This isn\u2019t to say that Iranians aren\u2019t generally aware of that situation already. The sentiment has formed the core of countless protests, including two nationwide uprisings, one in January 2018 and one in November 2019. In both cases, participants chanted slogans that admonished the regime to \u201cthink of us\u201d ra<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ther than wasting the national wealth on destructive interference in the affairs of\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Syria, Iraq, and other regional nations.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> These slogans quickly turned into \u201cdeath to dictator\u201d and unanimous<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0demand for regime change.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Of course, that message is\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">all the more<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> imperative\u00a0in the midst of\u00a0the coronavirus outbreak. And this is especially true when one considers that the crisis is far worse than the\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">regime<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> has admitted, and is poised to become even worse still unless that regime reverses course on its current return-to-work orders. Such a change of policy is extremely unlikely unless the international community puts serious pressure on the regime, in coordination with the Iranian activists pushing for comprehensive political change in their homeland.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The past three months of disinformation and self-serving behavior should make it clear to all parties that such comprehensive change necessary before\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the regime<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0can be expected to properly address crises like the current outbreak. Continued mismanagement will no doubt lead to new anti-government uprisings in the long run. But immediate pressure on the regime could save tens of thousands of lives, both inside Iran and throughout the world.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ncr-iran.org\/en\/alternative\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NCRI\u2019s<\/a> president-elect, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/maryam-rajavi\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mrs. Rajavi<\/a> has said: \u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Today, not only the freedom of the people of Iran, but their very lives and health, and the country\u2019s economy and existence\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">depends<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0on the overthrow of the clerical regime<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Today, not only the freedom of the people of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a>, but their very lives and health, and the country\u2019s economy and existence depends on the overthrow of the clerical regime. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/FreeIran2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#FreeIran2020<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#COVID19<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HSrdOGJ351\">pic.twitter.com\/HSrdOGJ351<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Maryam_Rajavi\/status\/1251510913301127171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 18, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iran&nbsp;is on track toward a resurgence of coronavirus infection that&nbsp;will at least&nbsp;doubles the existing death toll. That&rsquo;s even worse than it sounds. The Iranian&nbsp;regime&nbsp;reported that fewer than 6,000 people have [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":217502,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[186],"class_list":{"0":"post-217500","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-human-rights","8":"tag-coronavirus"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Iran Regime\u2019s Hiding Extent of COVID-19 Infection, Results in a Missive Spike in Deaths - NCRI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Iran\u00a0is on track toward a resurgence of coronavirus infection that\u00a0will at least\u00a0doubles the existing death toll. That\u2019s even worse than it sounds. 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