"You Took my Eye, Now you Won't Let me Get Treatment," Says Iran Protest Crackdown Victim

A Iranian man who lost an eye in the security forces' brutal clampdown on nationwide protests last year says the authorities are not allowing him to get treatment.  

Hossein Hosseinpour is among hundreds of protesters who sustained severe eye injuries after being hit by pellets, paintball bullets or other projectiles used by security forces amid a bloody crackdown on months of mainly peaceful demonstrations sparked by the September 2022 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Many victims have reported being denied medical care. 

Hosseinpour lost an eye during demonstrations in November.

"You took my eye, and now you won't let me get treatment...You deleted my name from the list of patients. My eye is causing me a lot of pain," he tweeted on May 11. 

The man also took to Instagram to explain his situation, saying he had been trying to schedule an eye surgery for a month. 

"They've been playing with me every week, and today I was supposed to be hospitalized. The reception told me to go to the examination room, but the examination room told me my name had been crossed out," he wrote. 

"When I asked why, the receptionist told me, 'Pray for someone to die and they'll give the retina to you.' And he didn't know why my name was crossed out," Hosseinpour added.

More than 520 people were killed by security forces during demonstrations sparked by Amini's death and over 20,000 people were unlawfully detained, activists say. Following biased trials, the judiciary has handed down stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to protesters.