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| Mehsa Mehdili |
Mahsa Mehdili states that Iran does not have sufficient resources to combat the threat of the coronavirus. Speaking to Voice of America, the political analyst says that the Islamic Republic does not manage even its limited resources fairly or effectively.
According to Mahsa Mehdili, "Iran is already insufficient in terms of both equipment and scientific capabilities. However, it is unable to manage even these limited resources properly. On top of this, we see that there is a significant disparity in the distribution of resources between the central region and other provinces, especially Azerbaijan."
There are contradictions between the statements made by local officials in different Iranian provinces and the reports provided by Tehran regarding the number of coronavirus infections and deaths.
Mehdili says, "Because the Iranian government does not provide accurate information, people do not know what to do, and incorrect information is also sent to the international community. Even if aid were to come from abroad, the people would be deprived of it."
She also emphasizes that local officials act as "Tehran’s servants" and do not feel responsible for the local population:
"Officials in different provinces may have authority and could act more responsibly. However, because they are merely subordinates, they do not feel accountable to the people there. The system is designed in such a way that they do not consider this necessary. They simply wait for orders from Tehran. And it is clear how Tehran is handling the situation."
A group of Turkish activists, writers, and public figures sent a letter on Tuesday to Iran’s judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi, urging authorities to ensure the health of political prisoners and calling for their temporary release.
Mahsa Mehdili says, "The signatures of our esteemed activists on this appeal are a necessary and valuable step. They have called on officials to act responsibly. I appreciate their efforts, and I hope it will have an impact. This would also be beneficial for the Iranian government. However, they do not value human lives. They do not see themselves as accountable to anyone. They announced that prisoners with sentences under five years would be granted furlough. But we saw that they applied this selectively. Some national activists from South Azerbaijan have sentences of less than five years, yet they were not granted furlough."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Məhsa Mehdili: Vilayət məsulları da Tehranın əmr quludurlar, əhalinin həyatına dəyər vermirlər