In November of 2022, two months into the Woman Life Freedom protests in Iran, sparked by the death-in-custody of Mahsa “Jina”Amini, a report from ophthalmologists inside of Iran revealed 580 identified eye injuries. Witnesses across Iran have told us a different story.

According to witnesses, those who sought medical treatment immediately following injury were either denied treatment, or police were waiting at the entrances of hospitals, recording the names of anyone entering. Those who had returned to the hospital in the morning, when it was safer, were told by doctors that they would have to write a different cause of injury or they would be denied medical treatment. Medical staff were also fearful of persecution should they record that they had provided medical assistance to those injured by police at protests.

This not only skews any statistics of the true number of injuries suffered, but with the urgent nature of eye injuries, delayed access to treatment would have caused further injury for many.

دو ماه بعد از شروع اعتراضات «زن، زندگی، آزادی» تو ایران که بخاطر مرگ مهسا امینی تو بازداشت شروع شد، چشم پزشک‌ها گفتن ۵۸۰ نفر چشمشون آسیب دیده. اما کسایی که اونجا بودن، یه چیز دیگه می‌گن.

اونا می‌گن کسایی که همون موقع می‌رفتن بیمارستان، یا دکترها قبولشون نمی‌کردن یا پلیس دم در بیمارستان منتظر بود ببینه کیه، اسمشو بنویسه. کسایی هم که صبح می‌رفتن بیمارستان، دکترها می‌گفتن باید یه دلیل دیگه برای آسیب‌شون بنویسن وگرنه درمانشون نمی‌کنن. دکتر و پرستارها هم می‌ترسیدن اگه بگن به زخمی‌های اعتراضات کمک کردن، اذیتشون کنن.

اینجوری، نه تنها آمار واقعی آسیب‌دیده‌ها معلوم نیست، بلکه خیلی‌ها هم چون نتونستن زود برن دکتر، چشمشون بدتر شده.

اینجوریاس که اوضاع خیلی وخیم‌تر از چیزیه که فکر می‌کردیم…