While some are tragic victims of a new disease whose lives would have been lost regardless of the measures taken by those in charge, the MEK says that the vast majority have died because of the regime’s inadequate and criminal response.
For instance, the MEK report that the regime failed to:
- End flights to and from China
- Quarantine the city that saw the initial outbreak
- Tell people about the outbreak so that they could take steps to protect themselves
All of these actions would have slowed the spread, flattened the curve, and saved lives.
However, it doesn’t make sense to focus on this now, according to the MEK. The time for justice will be as soon as this crisis is over. What can the mullahs do now to save lives (and, to be honest, their own skin)?
Well, the MEK recommends that the regime:
- Institute a lockdown, where people can only leave the house for food, medicine, essential work, or help the most vulnerable.
- Pay those who cannot work from home and are not key workers so that they can meet their bills
- Fund the healthcare system
- Provide key workers with all the personal protective equipment they need
Most other countries have already done this and, unlike them, the regime wouldn’t even have to borrow the money to keep the country afloat. The MEK says they could just dip into the funds held by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s foundations, like Astan Quds Razavi and the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order (EIKO).
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Which Is Threatening the Lives of Iran’s People, Sanctions or the Regime?
The MEK has been saying this since the start of the pandemic, but now unlikely voices are joining the call, including regime officials and the state-run media.
Former presidential advisor and current editor-in-chief of the state-run Jomhuri–e Eslami daily Massih Mohajer even wrote an op-ed about it, saying that the Iranian people are currently helping each other but that they cannot do enough to avoid a recession.
He wrote: “Considering the economic recession caused by the coronavirus, what will the big financial institutions such as the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order, the Mostazafan Foundation of Islamic Revolution and Astan Quds do if they do not spend their money for the impoverished people?”
But, the MEK warn, the regime will not help the “80% of Iranians who live under the poverty line and cannot afford to self-isolate”. Instead, the mullahs want to get sanctions against them lifted blaming them for the problem in Iran.
The MEK wrote: “It’s worth noting that sanctions do not stop humanitarian aid from going through. Iran has rejected US aid and expelled Doctors Without Borders, in much the same way that the people reject the mullahs and will expel them after this crisis has passed.”
The threat of future uprisings will be the subject of our next piece.
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