The regime in Iran is taking targeted action against demonstrators. Many injured people avoid hospitals for fear of being arrested. A network of doctors of Iranian origin helps from a distance – for example via video consultations from Essen.
ENT doctor Shabnam Fahimi-Weber is driving through Essen, her eyes frequently glancing at her cell phone. A message from Iran could arrive at any moment. Her thoughts often drift to the country where she grew up.
“This is a very turbulent phase, especially for us,” she admits, constantly monitoring the news while simultaneously working to organize medical care. “We have a meeting every evening right now, every single evening.” Fahimi-Weber is a key initiator of the ParsiMed network. Since the protests began in 2022, the network has been coordinating medical support from Germany for injured individuals in Iran.
Fahimi-Weber and her colleagues are providing care to the injured in Iran, a delicate operation given the government’s surveillance. She explains that individuals shot or seriously injured are afraid to seek treatment at clinics, fearing arrest and disappearance into the prison system.
Help via Satellite
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The current wave of protests began at the end of December. As more people took to the streets, the regime severed access to the internet. By last Thursday evening, nearly the entire country was cut off from the network.
This poses a significant challenge for the doctors assisting from Germany, who rely on functioning communication channels. “Our work has become extremely difficult and even more complicated than before,” says Fahimi-Weber.
Communication was almost impossible for the first two days of the internet shutdown. However, the network has re-established contact with some supporters in Iran who can communicate via satellite connections. Through them, doctors in Germany are now receiving requests for help from wounded individuals.
ENT doctor Shabnam Fahimi-Weber is one of the initiators of the ParsiMed network, which has been helping injured people from Iran since 2022.
Treatment via Video Call
A young protester recently contacted ParsiMed via video call. Fahimi-Weber reports he sustained a gunshot wound to his thigh. “He was brought straight home by his parents,” she says. After two days without medical attention, the wound became severely inflamed.
And it’s in cases like these that the doctors from Germany step in. They examined the wound via video call and provided instructions: open it, clean it, disinfect it, and bandage it professionally. However, the doctors are thousands of kilometers away, and the actual treatment is carried out by the injured person’s sister, who has no formal medical training.
At Least 500 Dead
Remote treatments like this have become commonplace for the network. The doctors offer online consultations, provide specialist assessments, and help organize medication. A few days ago, Fahimi-Weber also received an X-ray of a 17-year-old with a broken nose. His family, too, is afraid to go to the hospital.
Official figures on the number of victims from the ongoing protests are unavailable. However, the human rights organization HRANA estimates at least 500 deaths. The actual number is likely significantly higher, as activists have only recorded cases that have been identified and reported.
Eyewitnesses reported to the ARD that security forces loyal to the regime are employing extremely brutal tactics, shooting live ammunition into crowds with lethal intent—often aiming for the head. Videos documenting this violence continue to surface despite the internet blackout.
Doctors in Iran are Afraid
ParsiMed also maintains contact with doctors in Iran who are willing to treat the injured despite the significant personal risk. Pharmacist Malahat Daneshvaran from Essen-Haarzopf examines the 17-year-old’s X-ray alongside doctor Fahimi-Weber.
Daneshvaran describes the pervasive fear among medical staff in Iran. “The doctors are afraid, they don’t dare,” she says. Injured individuals are actively sought out in hospitals and taken into custody. Anyone who provides assistance puts themselves in danger.
As she concludes the conversation, Fahimi-Weber expresses hope for fewer injuries in the coming days, but anticipates the opposite. Iran is currently experiencing a shortage of blood reserves, reports the Essen doctor, and people have already died as a result. The regime is ignoring this crisis, which is why it’s now crucial that as many people as possible in Iran donate blood.
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