Tehran, Iran – February 12, 2026 — A senior Iranian doctor has made explosive allegations that the Islamic Republic’s security forces have been executing wounded protesters directly in hospital beds by shooting them in the head, even while they remain connected to life-support machines and medical equipment.
The claim comes from Dr. R (name withheld for security reasons), a physician and member of the Aida Health Alliance, an underground network of Iranian medical professionals documenting human rights abuses in hospitals during periods of unrest. In a detailed interview with exiled Persian-language media and human rights organisations, Dr. R described a pattern of extrajudicial killings carried out inside medical facilities, particularly during the 2022–2023 nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini in morality police custody.
According to the doctor, security agents and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have entered hospitals—sometimes in plain clothes, sometimes in uniform—and shot injured detainees at point-blank range in the head. These executions allegedly occurred while the victims were still intubated, receiving intravenous fluids, or under sedation for surgery or pain management.
“One case I personally witnessed involved a young man who had been shot in the leg during a protest,” Dr. R stated. “He was stabilised in the ICU, still wired to monitors and breathing with assistance. Two agents entered the ward at night, asked the nurses to leave, and shot him once in the head. They declared him dead on arrival from the protest injuries. This is not isolated. It has happened multiple times in different hospitals across Tehran, Karaj, and other cities.”
Dr. R said the practice appears designed to eliminate witnesses, prevent survivors from testifying about the violence they endured, and create official records that list the cause of death as pre-existing injuries rather than state execution. In some cases, families were reportedly told their loved ones died from “complications” or “worsening wounds,” with no opportunity to view the body or obtain an independent autopsy.
The Aida Health Alliance, founded by exiled Iranian doctors and human rights advocates, has compiled testimonies, photographs of hospital records, and witness accounts alleging systematic abuse of medical neutrality. The group claims that Iranian authorities have violated international humanitarian law by turning hospitals into sites of execution, denying wounded protesters proper care, and intimidating medical staff who attempt to treat them.
Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have documented numerous cases of protesters being denied medical treatment, tortured in detention, or killed in custody since the 2022 uprising. However, the specific allegation of hospital-bed executions represents a particularly grave escalation, if corroborated.
The Iranian government has not yet responded publicly to Dr. R’s claims. State media and officials have consistently described the protests as foreign-orchestrated riots involving “thugs” and “terrorists,” and have denied systematic mistreatment of detainees. Iran’s judiciary has carried out dozens of public and secret executions related to the protests, with charges often including “enmity against God” (moharebeh) and “corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel-arz)—capital offences under Iranian law.
International condemnation of Iran’s handling of the protests has been widespread. The United Nations Human Rights Council established a fact-finding mission in 2022 to investigate alleged crimes against humanity, including unlawful killings, torture, and sexual violence. The mission’s reports have documented hundreds of deaths at the hands of security forces, many involving excessive or lethal force against unarmed demonstrators.
Dr. R’s testimony has been shared with the UN fact-finding mission, exile-based Persian media outlets, and several Western human rights groups. The doctor emphasised that many medical professionals in Iran continue to risk their careers—and their lives—to treat injured protesters and document abuses, despite threats of arrest, dismissal, or worse.
The Aida Health Alliance has called on the international community to pressure Iran to respect medical neutrality, allow independent investigations into hospital deaths, and end the practice of denying care to political detainees. The group also urged global medical associations to condemn violations of the Geneva Conventions’ protections for healthcare workers and facilities in conflict situations.
As Iran continues to face internal dissent and international isolation over its human rights record, allegations such as those made by Dr. R are likely to intensify scrutiny of the regime’s treatment of protesters and detainees. The claims—if independently verified—would constitute a severe breach of international humanitarian and human rights law, adding further weight to calls for accountability and justice for victims of the 2022 uprising and subsequent crackdowns.
