Following the January 8 and 9 massacre, a wave of arrests targeting nurses began in various cities across Iran. State-run media outlets have only made limited references to these arrests. Grassroots sources had previously reported that several nurses were detained for providing medical care to individuals injured during the protests. No official statistics have been released, and the legal status of those detained remains unclear. This ambiguity has raised serious questions.
According to remarks by Mohammad Sharifi-Moghaddam, Secretary-General of the Iranian Nurses House, published on February 11 by the state-run Tosee Irani news outlet, several nurses have been arrested in Tehran, Isfahan, and other cities. He emphasizes: “He does not have exact statistics. Calls from families and colleagues are his only source of information. The arrest of nurses has continued even in the days after the protests. Last week, a nurse working at a home nursing care center was also arrested at her residence.”
Secretary-General of Iran’s House of Nurses: Nurses Have Been Arrested in Several Cities
Arrest of Nurses and the Vacuum of Official Accountability
Sharifi-Moghaddam questions which institution is responsible for following up on the situation of these nurses. He says: “Nurses feel they have no guardian. The Ministry of Health and the Nursing Organization have not provided any transparent report so far. The arrest of nurses is taking place while this group has faced economic pressures and staff shortages for years. Difficult and exhausting working conditions are part of the reality of their professional lives.”
Nurses play a frontline role in times of crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many lost their lives. Now, during the January protests, they treated the injured. Sharifi-Moghaddam states: “A nurse’s duty is not limited to the hospital. Wherever there is an injured person, medical staff must provide assistance.” He then refers to the “Law on Punishment for Refusal to Assist the Injured and Remove Life-Threatening Dangers, adopted in 2015.” Under this law, refusing to provide assistance in dangerous situations is considered a crime.
Nevertheless, the arrest of nurses occurred after they carried out this very legal duty. This contradiction is striking. If assisting the injured is a humanitarian and professional obligation, why has fulfilling it led to detention? Reports indicate that the arrests were carried out because the nurses provided medical services to individuals injured during the protests.
But what is the reality? Arrest of Nurses; An Attempt to Silence Witnesses to the Crime
The January 8 and 9 protests were met with widespread violence by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the regime’s main military and security force. Local sources reported that thousands of young people were killed, injured, or arrested. In such circumstances, nurses were among the first to confront the wounded bodies. They became directly familiar with the extent of the injuries. The arrest of nurses could therefore signify pressure on eyewitnesses.
The lack of clarity regarding the number of detainees reinforces speculation that the objective is to control the narrative. When the number of those killed and injured is not transparently announced, arresting medical staff can restrict the flow of information. Families remain unaware of the fate of some detainees. No official report has been published regarding their place of detention or possible charges.
The arrest of nurses following the January massacre presents a shocking image of how medical personnel are treated. Nurses who were legally obligated to provide assistance are now themselves detained. This process not only violates their professional rights but also suggests an effort to conceal the scale of repression. When the regime targets witnesses to the wounds instead of providing accountability, it has no aim other than hiding the dimensions of the crime.
