Iran’s government said it had ordered an investigation into unrest in the western province of Ilam after rights groups condemned reports that security forces raided a hospital where injured protesters were being treated.
Tensions in Ilam peaked this week after clashes between security forces and demonstrators in Malekshahi, a town near the Iraqi border, where forces fired live rounds to disperse protesters, killing several people and injuring dozens.
The situation escalated late on Sunday when security forces entered Imam Khomeini Hospital, where wounded demonstrators had been taken for treatment, according to rights groups.
Amnesty International said on Tuesday, “The Iranian security forces’ attack on a hospital in Ilam, where injured protesters are seeking medical care or shelter, violates international law.”
The rights group said information it gathered showed that on January 4, Revolutionary Guards and police special forces surrounded the hospital, used shotguns and fired tear gas into the grounds, smashed glass doors to gain access, and beat those inside, including medical workers.
Amnesty cited informed sources as saying that security forces had entered the hospital on multiple occasions, arresting injured protesters receiving treatment and their family members.
Rights groups also said security personnel attempted to seize the bodies of protesters killed in the unrest to prevent public mourning ceremonies.
President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the interior minister on Monday to assemble a team of relevant officials to examine the incidents in Ilam, the causes behind the unrest and how authorities responded, and to submit a comprehensive report to the president’s office as soon as possible, according to a government statement.
