In the heartbreaking tale of a nation on the brink of economic collapse, emerges a hauntingly lucrative enterprise reaching unprecedented heights in Iran: the shameless human organ trafficking.
This macabre trade, with its grotesque nature and moral bankruptcy, is a chilling testament to the depth of human tragedy. There has been a lot of coverage on the issue, but a recent article in the state-run Jhanneh Sanat newspaper brought the tragedy back into the spotlight.
May 3rd article Title: “Life Trader”‘ became a headline, and the ruling theocracy ordered the paper to delete it.
In recent years, the insidious allure of the business has flourished as rising costs of living and unabated poverty weigh heavily on the population.
This article opens with a chilling advertisement on the wall. “I sell parts of my body. I even sell my heart.” I am her 33 and need money to support my wife and her four children and pay the rent. I am not unemployed. I have been working as a worker for 23 years. ”
While demand for kidneys, the lifeblood of the trade, remains high, the boundaries of this sordid market have long been broken. From its origins more than a decade ago, the depths of the caverns, it has transformed into a grotesque bazaar where liver, bone marrow and cornea are bartered mercilessly. Each deal aggravates the dire plight that afflicts the nation, sinking it deeper into the abyss of devastation.
“There is a Kidney Market in an alley down Vali Azul Street, near the Palace of Justice. There is no one there, but you can find a wall filled with advertisements selling body parts.” “In the past year, adverts for kidneys have been accompanied by donations of liver, bone marrow, eye corneas, sperm and eggs,” the article added. I reached the wall. A website of the same name has also been launched, making it easy for individuals seeking services to connect with each other.
poor #Iranpeople who sell their body parts
Handwritten advertisements for organ sales are now commonplace in many Iranian cities, and the saddest part is that most of them are to unemployed young people. Under such severe economic pressure,… https://t.co/U9cp70HDZW pic.twitter.com/zaDK4DRfKn— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) December 12, 2018
“Last year, the Iranian Kidney Association set the kidney donation rate at 800 million rials. The involvement of intermediaries and the critical condition of the patient, as well as the demand for the rare O-blood type, drives the price even higher.”
In Iran, on the other hand, organ trafficking is considered a crime even under the regime’s own laws, and only organ donation is legal. Only kidney donations from living people are possible.
“According to Ministry of Health records, 420 living kidney transplants were performed in Iran in 2020. Concerned about the existence of intermediaries in kidney donation, the Iranian Kidney Association, which is dedicated to assisting kidney patients, warned of the process. Jahan E-Sanat wrote in this regard, saying that the Kidney Association “originally set the price at 120 million rials, but later increased it to 340 million rials, The amount that the association has designated for donation is now 800 million rials since 2020.”
Now, with the price of organs fluctuating between 500 million riyals and 1 billion riyals on the black market, more and more Iranians are selling their vital organs for a living.
“Our reporters interviewed the sellers and found that they all want to sell their organs because of poverty, and sadly this is not restricted to any particular gender or age. Buyers may not be able to afford these prices either, as they have to sell their homes and cars to get enough money for the transplant,” writes Jahane Sanat.
Therefore, since Iranians can no longer afford high prices, of vital organsmany sell body parts outside Iran, namely Iraq, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
“Certain intermediaries with international ties facilitate the travel of organ traffickers to neighboring countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Iraq, where organ dealers dispose of their body parts. It can be sold for amounts ranging from $7,000 to $15,000.Unfortunately, these sellers often fall into the trap of scammers with fatal consequences. It is worth noting that these sellers have no legal protection in the country and in many cases have no choice but to engage in this dangerous business,” Jahan-e-Sanat also acknowledges. .
These sellers are not unemployed. They struggle relentlessly to make ends meet. But with the regime’s rampant corruption exacerbating the country’s disastrous economic crisis, they have no choice but to sacrifice their vital organs to ensure survival.
“A quick search of Telegram channels and local websites reveals that the body parts trade has spread well beyond Tehran and major cities across the country, with 80 million Iranian “It is alarming evidence that poverty is pervasive in everyone’s face. Poverty is not created overnight. It is permanent and continues to plague the nation,” the paper said. I am writing about points.
As Jahane Sanat also acknowledges, “Inflation and soaring prices have pushed people into the depths of poverty. The heartbreaking plight of those haggling for their rights within Iran’s borders. part of my body Because the mere morsel of bread reveals the tragic tragedy that lies beneath the surface. Kidney sellers, once motivated by a desire for material possessions such as cars and homes, are now forced to sell organs to meet basic daily needs. ”
A reporter from Jahan-e Sanat contacted two vendors. One is a worker, the other is he and she is a single mother with two minor children. This worker was 22 years old and sold his kidney for 5 billion rials and part of his liver for 2 billion rials. Single mother born in 1987 sells his kidney for 3.4 billion rials. “This is the only way I feed my children,” she says.
Engaging in the sale of organs poses significant risks and can have serious consequences for those involved. The human body is a complex balance, and removal of vital organs can lead to life-altering complications, both physical and psychological. Infections, surgical errors, and long-term health problems are more likely when surgery is performed outside of a regulated healthcare setting and without proper medical expertise.
take a look and judge #Iranstate officials are responding to the suffering, hunger and poverty of those who have been looted for the past 40 years. pic.twitter.com/OT7VrBhL4P
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 31, 2023
Moreover, the emotional burden and potential ethical and legal consequences of parting with an organ can have lasting harm to a person’s well-being.
But while citizens of one of the world’s richest countries have to sell body parts to make a living, the ruling theocracy squanders Iran’s national wealth in terrorism and repression.
“While Ebrahim Raisi’s government continues to boast of poverty eradication, more and more people are selling their organs. Yet the government keeps talking about eradicating poverty,” wrote Jahane Sanat in this regard.
These heartbreaking tragedies, inherently loathsome, set off a fire of public anger against the ruling theocracy, whose illegal intrigues and malign policies have ruthlessly ravaged the lives of its people.
“The trafficking of organs is a clear evidence of the dire economic hardships faced by members of society and of the painful struggle for survival that interferes with their seemingly normal lives. It will inevitably lead to countless social crises and cast a dark shadow over the fabric of communities,” Jahane Sanat warns officials.