{"id":2532,"date":"2026-02-14T01:55:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T01:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=2532"},"modified":"2026-02-14T01:55:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T01:55:34","slug":"the-price-of-speaking-out-against-the-iranian-regime-world-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=2532","title":{"rendered":"The price of speaking out against the Iranian regime | World News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component-name=\"ui-article-body\" data-testid=\"article-body\" data-highlight-intro=\"true\">\n<p>Sky News understands Iranian doctor Yaser Rahmani-Rad has been arrested and held after accusing the country&#8217;s security forces of arresting injured protesters inside hospitals and removing medical equipment, &#8220;because they deserve to die&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Rahmani-Rad is an internal medicine specialist who was working at the Rasul Akram public hospital in Tehran when <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/the-doctors-who-want-you-to-know-what-happened-inside-iran-13500411\" target=\"_blank\">he gave Sky News an interview<\/a><\/strong> at the end of January.<\/p>\n<p>The regime had regained control of the streets after nationwide protests had threatened to sweep <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/topic\/iran-5977\/\" target=\"_blank\">Iran<\/a><\/strong>&#8216;s clerical leaders aside. Dr Rahmani-Rad said he was shocked by the ferocity of this crackdown, adding the security forces had taken &#8220;full control&#8221; of the country&#8217;s hospitals.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-site-video\" data-testid=\"site-video\">\n<div class=\"ui-video-player\" data-component-name=\"ui-video-player\" data-testid=\"video-player\" data-autoplay=\"false\" data-orientation=\"\" data-disable-ads=\"\" data-disable-post-rolls=\"\" data-ad-tag=\"20346936\/skynews\/videoplayer\" data-content-source-id=\"2537425\" data-show-captions=\"\" data-account-id=\"6058004172001\" data-player-id=\"FeuO55X2f\" data-video-id=\"b19a53fa-232a-4cae-98a9-f49974483f6f\" data-auto-change-orientation=\"\" data-autoload=\"false\" data-pause-if-visibility-changes=\"mobile\" id=\"\" data-id=\"\" data-deferred-load=\"\" data-captions-position=\"lower-third\" data-share-url=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/share\/13498052\">\n          <button class=\"ui-video-player-poster\" title=\"Play Video\" data-testid=\"video-player-poster\"><\/p>\n<p>            <noscript>You need javascript enabled to view this content<\/noscript><\/p>\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/01\/768x432\/skynews-omid-djalili-iran_7143270.jpg?20260123085308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/01\/768x432\/skynews-omid-djalili-iran_7143270.jpg?20260123085308 700w, https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/01\/384x216\/skynews-omid-djalili-iran_7143270.jpg?20260123085308 360w\" class=\"ui-video-player-poster-image\" alt=\"\" data-testid=\"video-player-poster-image\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"ui-video-player-body\" inert=\"\">\n            <video-js class=\"ui-video-player-tag\" playsinline=\"\" poster=\"\"\/><br \/>\n             <button class=\"ui-share-button\" data-share-title=\"\" data-share-url=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/share\/13498052\" data-component-name=\"ui-share-button\" data-could-not-share=\"\" data-type=\"compact\" data-tracking-label=\"\/share-button\/video\"><br \/>\n    <noscript>Enable javascript to share<\/noscript><br \/>\n    <span class=\"ui-share-button-label\" data-role=\"share-label\" aria-live=\"polite\">Share<\/span><br \/>\n    <svg class=\"ui-share-button-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"22\" fill=\"none\" version=\"1.1\" viewbox=\"0 0 20 22\"><path d=\"m17 0c0.0557 0 0.111 9e-4 0.166 0.0039 0.977 0.0363 1.91 0.553 2.44 1.46 0.266 0.456 0.39 0.954 0.392 1.45 1e-3 0.0314 0.0029 0.063 0.0029 0.0947 0 1.66-1.34 3-3 3-0.699 0-1.34-0.241-1.85-0.643l-9.17 5.25c0.0165 0.128 0.0263 0.258 0.0263 0.39 0 0.132-0.0099 0.261-0.0263 0.389l9.18 5.25c0.51-0.4 1.15-0.641 1.85-0.641 1.66 0 3 1.34 3 3 0 0.0314-0.0019 0.0626-0.0029 0.0938-0.0015 0.492-0.126 0.99-0.392 1.45-0.525 0.902-1.46 1.42-2.44 1.46-0.055 3e-3 -0.11 0.0049-0.166 0.0049-1.66 0-3-1.34-3-3 0-0.106 5e-3 -0.21 0.0157-0.312l-9.23-5.28c-0.5 0.372-1.12 0.596-1.79 0.596-1.66 0-3-1.34-3-3s1.34-3 3-3c0.671 0 1.29 0.223 1.79 0.595l9.23-5.28c-0.0106-0.102-0.0157-0.206-0.0157-0.312 0-1.66 1.34-3 3-3z\" role=\"presentation\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n    <svg class=\"ui-share-button-tick\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" fill=\"none\" version=\"1.1\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\"><path d=\"m15.7 2.69c0.39 0.391 0.39 1.02 0 1.41l-9.8 9.8-0.0762 0.0683c-0.131 0.107-0.283 0.176-0.44 0.206-0.0943 0.0182-0.191 0.0228-0.286 0.0137-0.0321-0.0031-0.064-0.0076-0.0957-0.0137-0.0631-0.0122-0.125-0.0302-0.186-0.0547-0.12-0.0488-0.233-0.122-0.33-0.22l-4.19-4.19c-0.39-0.391-0.39-1.02 0-1.41l0.694-0.694 4.21 4.2 9.81-9.81 0.694 0.694z\" role=\"presentation\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<\/button>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n                <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-role=\"caption-text\" data-testid=\"caption-text\">Iranian regime &#8216;executing protesters&#8217;<\/span>\n            <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;If they realise that someone who was injured in the protests has gone to a hospital, or even if they had gone before and managed to escape them, they will arrest that person. By checking security cameras, they track them down, raid the locations, and detain them,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Iran crackdown: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/the-doctors-who-want-you-to-know-what-happened-inside-iran-13500411\" target=\"_blank\">Doctors share disturbing accounts<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>His colleagues said security personnel had removed patients from ventilators and other life-saving medical equipment inside hospitals.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They said, &#8216;let them die, they have no rights, they are against the Islamic system, and they deserve to die&#8217;.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It was a brave thing to speak out. People who criticise the regime in Iran typically request anonymity, but the medic believed the international exposure would help protect him from state forces.<\/p>\n<p>When I contacted Dr Rahmani-Rad the following week, he said he was fine &#8211; although he had received a visit from the security forces.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-factbox\" data-testid=\"article-factbox\">\n<div class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text-wrapper\">\n<p class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text\" data-testid=\"article-factbox-text\">Here is what he relayed to me in a series of messages:<\/p>\n<p class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text\" data-testid=\"article-factbox-text\">&#8220;Without any court or summons, they announced that you no longer have the right to be active on any social media network&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text\" data-testid=\"article-factbox-text\">&#8220;Otherwise, you will be discharged from the hospital&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text\" data-testid=\"article-factbox-text\">&#8220;And you will be arrested&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text\" data-testid=\"article-factbox-text\">&#8220;We have been very patient with you&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text\" data-testid=\"article-factbox-text\">&#8220;This was the final announcement&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>However, these threats did not work. The specialist posted another video on Instagram &#8211; on or around 11 February &#8211; castigating the regime for inflicting violence on people who could not afford the money required to treat their injuries.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;How could you shoot at these poor souls who don&#8217;t have 200,000 or 500,000 tomans (\u00a30.90 to \u00a32.40) to buy antibiotics. I don&#8217;t understand it. I genuinely don&#8217;t understand it,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>It seems these comments were poorly received. His videos have been stripped from Instagram and the page has been shut down.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-image\" data-testid=\"article-image\">\n<figure class=\"sdc-article-image__figure\">\n<div class=\"sdc-article-image__wrapper\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sdc-article-image__item\" loading=\"lazy\" intrinsicsize=\"768x432\" src=\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/768x432\/skynews-rahmani-rad-iran_7164502.png?20260213212919\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/384x216\/skynews-rahmani-rad-iran_7164502.png?20260213212919 380w, https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/768x432\/skynews-rahmani-rad-iran_7164502.png?20260213212919 760w, https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/1600x900\/skynews-rahmani-rad-iran_7164502.png?20260213212919 1024w, https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/2048x1152\/skynews-rahmani-rad-iran_7164502.png?20260213212919 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw\" alt=\"Dr Rahmani-Rad's Instagram account appears to have been wiped\" data-testid=\"article-image-image\"\/>\n    <\/div><figcaption class=\"ui-media-caption\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption\">\n        <span class=\"u-hide-visually\">Image:<\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption-text\">Dr Rahmani-Rad&#8217;s Instagram account appears to have been wiped<br \/>\n        <\/span><br \/>\n      <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Read more from Sky News:<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/bangladeshs-nationalist-party-claims-victory-in-historic-election-13506956\" target=\"_blank\">Bangladesh&#8217;s historic election<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/theres-no-hiding-the-schism-that-now-lies-between-trump-and-israel-13507072\" target=\"_blank\">Analysis: Trump and Israel&#8217;s tensions<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/us-military-completes-transfer-of-thousands-of-islamic-state-detainees-from-syria-to-iraq-13507151\" target=\"_blank\">IS detainees moved from Syria to Iraq<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dr Rahmani-Rad&#8217;s friends are unable to contact him. I spoke to Dr Keyvan Yahia, a neuroscientist who teaches at Chemnitz Technical University in Germany.<\/p>\n<p>He said: &#8220;I hadn&#8217;t heard back from him for three days, so I decided to get hold of Yaser through his father. I said, &#8216;Mr Rahmani, I didn&#8217;t hear back from Yaser and given the circumstances, I must assume that something not very well happened to him. Do you have any idea?'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He said, &#8216;yes, on Monday, actually, on Monday, this week, on his arrival at the hospital&#8230; he was officially detained and taken into custody&#8217;. And he was taken, according to his father, to some undisclosed location. The family have absolutely no idea where he has gone.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-image\" data-testid=\"article-image\">\n<figure class=\"sdc-article-image__figure\">\n<div class=\"sdc-article-image__wrapper\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sdc-article-image__item\" loading=\"lazy\" intrinsicsize=\"768x432\" src=\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/768x432\/skynews-keyvan-yahia-dr-rahmanirad_7164460.jpg?20260213205913\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/384x216\/skynews-keyvan-yahia-dr-rahmanirad_7164460.jpg?20260213205913 380w, https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/768x432\/skynews-keyvan-yahia-dr-rahmanirad_7164460.jpg?20260213205913 760w, https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/1600x900\/skynews-keyvan-yahia-dr-rahmanirad_7164460.jpg?20260213205913 1024w, https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/2048x1152\/skynews-keyvan-yahia-dr-rahmanirad_7164460.jpg?20260213205913 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw\" alt=\"Dr Rahmani-Rad's friends, like Dr Keyvan Yahia, are unable to contact him\" data-testid=\"article-image-image\"\/>\n    <\/div><figcaption class=\"ui-media-caption\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption\">\n        <span class=\"u-hide-visually\">Image:<\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption-text\">Dr Rahmani-Rad&#8217;s friends, like Dr Keyvan Yahia, are unable to contact him<br \/>\n        <\/span><br \/>\n      <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Despite official denials by the regime, doctors have been arrested and detained for providing medical treatment to people involved in the protests.<\/p>\n<p>Sky News understands that a fellow internal medicine specialist, Dr Golnaz Naraghi, was arrested two weeks ago. Her whereabouts was initially unknown, but according to a hospital source, she was transferred to a notorious women&#8217;s prison called Qarchak near Tehran.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-image\" data-testid=\"article-image\">\n<figure class=\"sdc-article-image__figure\">\n<div class=\"sdc-article-image__wrapper\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sdc-article-image__item\" loading=\"lazy\" intrinsicsize=\"768x432\" src=\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/768x432\/skynews-golnaz-naraghi-iran_7164463.jpg?20260213210231\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/384x216\/skynews-golnaz-naraghi-iran_7164463.jpg?20260213210231 380w, https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/768x432\/skynews-golnaz-naraghi-iran_7164463.jpg?20260213210231 760w, https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/1600x900\/skynews-golnaz-naraghi-iran_7164463.jpg?20260213210231 1024w, https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/2048x1152\/skynews-golnaz-naraghi-iran_7164463.jpg?20260213210231 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw\" alt=\"Internal medicine specialist, Dr Golnaz Naraghi, who has been arrested in Iran\" data-testid=\"article-image-image\"\/>\n    <\/div><figcaption class=\"ui-media-caption\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption\">\n        <span class=\"u-hide-visually\">Image:<\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption-text\">Internal medicine specialist, Dr Golnaz Naraghi, who has been arrested in Iran<br \/>\n        <\/span><br \/>\n      <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>We previously reported on the arrest of a surgeon called Alireza Golchini, who was charged with &#8216;waging war against God&#8217; &#8211; an offence which carries the death penalty.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Golchini posted a phone number online for people injured in the demonstrations, and performed surgery on approximately 20 protesters.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-image\" data-testid=\"article-image\">\n<figure class=\"sdc-article-image__figure\">\n<div class=\"sdc-article-image__wrapper\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sdc-article-image__item\" loading=\"lazy\" intrinsicsize=\"768x432\" src=\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/768x432\/skynews-alireza-golchini-iran_7164461.jpg?20260213210125\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/384x216\/skynews-alireza-golchini-iran_7164461.jpg?20260213210125 380w, https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/768x432\/skynews-alireza-golchini-iran_7164461.jpg?20260213210125 760w, https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/1600x900\/skynews-alireza-golchini-iran_7164461.jpg?20260213210125 1024w, https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/26\/02\/2048x1152\/skynews-alireza-golchini-iran_7164461.jpg?20260213210125 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw\" alt=\"Surgeon Alireza Golchini was charged in Iran after helping demonstrators\" data-testid=\"article-image-image\"\/>\n    <\/div><figcaption class=\"ui-media-caption\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption\">\n        <span class=\"u-hide-visually\">Image:<\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-testid=\"article-image-caption-text\">Surgeon Alireza Golchini was charged in Iran after helping demonstrators<br \/>\n        <\/span><br \/>\n      <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>     <a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/download-app\" target=\"blank\" data-tracking-label=\"ui-app-promo-download-link\" class=\"ui-app-promo sdc-article-widget\" data-type=\"\" data-component-name=\"ui-app-promo\" data-testid=\"app-promo\"><\/p>\n<p>    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>We understand that he has been released on bail and the charges have been changed.<\/p>\n<p>The surgeon now stands accused of &#8216;the incitement of protest and rebellion&#8217;, alongside providing medical care. He faces the prospect of two to five years in jail.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/the-price-of-speaking-out-against-the-iranian-regime-13507312\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sky News understands Iranian doctor Yaser Rahmani-Rad has been arrested and held after accusing the country&#8217;s security forces of arresting injured protesters inside hospitals and removing&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}