November 19, 2022

Ms. Catherine Russell 
Executive Director
UNICEF

UNICEF House,
3 United Nations Plaza,
New York, New York 10017, U.S.A.

Re: Iranian regime violent targeting of children and adolescents 

Dear Ms. Russell, 

We as a group of physicians and healthcare professionals, are writing to your respected organization, in hopes of bringing to your immediate attention and action, to end the brutal violence and indiscriminate killing of vulnerable children and adolescents in Iran, who are being injured, traumatized and killed as innocent casualties of the forceful crackdowns of the protests across Iran.

We are a non-partisan apolitical group of physicians, dentists, and allied healthcare professionals named MAHSA (Medical Alliance for Health Services Abroad). Our mission is to remotely assist those injured in Iran, who stand in desperate and urgent need of immediate attention and to also draw attention to the imminent crisis of health injustice and human rights violations in Iran.

According to Amnesty International’s statistics, children represent 16% of overall deaths of protesters and bystanders during this current upheaval in Iran. Most of these protestors, including pregnant women, are left without access to basic and fundamental right of access to medical care.

The world’s conscious was shocked again to its core, when on November 16th 2022, a 9-year-old boy by the name of Kian Pirfalak joined other children in the last week, who were targeted and killed by gun shots of the government forces in Iran.

Under human rights treaties of which Islamic Republic of Iran is a signatory, governments have an obligation to protect a child’s right to life. Given your organization’s mission and standing globally, we beseech your immediate attention and action in drawing global attention to the ongoing violence against children and adolescents in Iran and to help stop these atrocities.

They are being targeted in with greater preponderance in remote ethnic communities of Iran that result in increasing number of physical injury and post-traumatic stress disorder on an unimaginable scale.

Your resounding voice will echo be the heart wrenching one of Kian’s mother and all mothers in Iran to end such violence and aggressions against children in that country, who are being targeted in their schools, homes, streets with violence and tear gas, resulting in serious injury and documented cases of death even on school grounds. The walls and halls of education have become witness to violence, terror and death of the innocent.

As healthcare providers, it is our duty, our sacred oath and moral obligation to raise the call and consciousness of all those, who care and work for the safety of children and youth to help protect them from such atrocities. We thank your organization for your immediate attention to publicly and unequivocally denounce such heinous actions on the children and vulnerable youth in Iran now.

We join many calling on UNICEF to send the strongest condemnation and initiate a call through local chapters in Iran to immediately stop any acts of violence towards the children and adolescents on the streets, schools, and in their homes.

It is time for the voice of the voiceless to resonate the world and stir the consciousness of humanity to bring back peace and solace to the lives of children in Iran.

With deep and abiding respect and gratitude,

Medical Alliance for Health Services Abroad (MAHSA)

1.    Dr. Kaveh Alizadeh MD, FACS Reconstruction and Plastic Surgeon  
2.    Dr. Arash Alaie MD HIV and Global Health Specialist
3.    Dr. Kamiar Alaie MD, DrPH, MS, MSt Global Health Policy and Human Right Law
4.    Dr. Masoud Asgari MD, FCAP, FASDP Dermatologist
5.    Dr. Behrooz Bromand MD Nephrologist
6.    Dr. Vadjista Broumand MD, FACP Internist
7.    Dr. Atih Seif MD, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
8.    Dr. Sean Shaheen Tedjarati, MD, MPH, MBA, CPE Gynecologic Surgical Oncologist and Medical Executive Leadership
9.    Dr. Omid Ashouri, MD is a critical care specialist
10.  Dr. Jaleh Niazi MD Pediatrician
11.  Dr. Mahnaz Jalali MD Family Medicine
12.  Maryam Jalali MD Internal Pediatrician  
13.  Dr. Saeide Rezvaninejad MD Internal Medicine Specialist
14.  Dr. Shahla Moghbel MD Neurologist
15.  Dr. Samareh Moussavand MD Psychiatrist
16.  Dr. Fatemeh Esfahani MD, FACC Internal Medicine and Cardiologist
17.  Dr. Payam Maneschi MD ENT and Facial Plastic Surgeon
18.  Dr. Soheila Doosti MD Pathologist
19.  Dr. Newsha Lajevardi MD Dermatologist 
20.  Dr. Omid Jafari MD Radiologist
21.  Dr. Alida Amin DDS Dentist
22.  Dr. Ardeshir Hakami MD Cardiothoracic Surgeon
23.  Dr. Arezou Minooee MD, MS
24.  Dr. Mahboubeh Fereidan MD Neurologist
25.  Parastoo Semsarilar Psychotherapist
26.  Dr. Arash Shadfar MD Forensic Psychiatrist
27.  Dr. Farahnaz Toyserkani MD Gastrointestinal Specialist
28.  Dr. Leili Sahrai Artin PhD Psychologist
29.  Dr. Kianoush Dehghani MD, MPH, FRCP Public Health (Infectious Disease) Specialist
30.  Dr. Marjun Ayati DDS Dentist
31.  Dr. Aryan Shayegani MD Ophthalmologist
32.  Dr. Mehdi Mirsaeidi MD, MPH Pulmonary and Critical Care Specialist
33.  Dr. Faranak Mohammadpour MD Palliative Care Specialist
34.  Dr. Saeed Eshraghi MD Psychiatrist 
35. Dr. Amir S Kazemi PT, DPT, OCS Physical therapist
36. Dr. Elham Rahmani MD Psychiatrist 
37. Dr. Farahnaz Eskandari MD Family physician and urgent care Specialist
38. Dr. Reza Aghaei MD Emergency Medicine Specialist 
39. Dr. Minoo Iromloo MD Obstetrician and Gynecologist
40. Dr. Nooshin Ghayoumi DDS Periodontics 
41. Dr. Hamid Far MD Internal Medicine
42. Dr. Mehdi Ghajar MD Ophthalmologist
43. Dr. Tara Farah MD Family Physician
44. Dr. Leyli Aminian DDS Dentist
45. Dr. Nooshin Ghayoumi DDS Dentist
46. Dr. Alireza Foroutan MD Ophthalmologist
47. Dr. Mojtaba Akhtari MD Oncologist
48. Dr. Daria Majzoubi MD Family Medicine
49. Parvin Ramzi BSN, RN, ONC
50. Fara Izadi, Licensed Clinical Social Worker 
50. Dr. Shafa Amirsoltani DDS Dentist
51. Dr. Marjun Ayati DDS Dentist
52. Dr. Farahnaz Farzadfar MD Family Medicine
53. Dr. Aram Boni MD, FACS, FACOG Age Management Medicine Specialist
54. Paria Yaghoubi Jami, Educational and Social Psychologist 
55. Dr. Katayoun Esmailipour MD Obstetrician and Gynecologist
56. Parisa Azhdarianfard Licensed Professional Counselor
57. Dr. Babak Jalali MD Family Medicine 
58. Dr. Jachie Fletcher MD Obstetrician and Gynecologist
59. Dr. Grace Chen MD Obstetrician and Gynecologist and Pelvic Reconstruction Specialist
60. Dr.  Arash Foroutani MD Internal Medicine Specialist
61. Dr. Jafar Shamszadeh DDS Dentist
62. Dr. Maryam Bakhshandeh MD Family Medicine 
63. Dr. Afshin Nahhavandi MD Family Medicine 
64. Dr. Malay Nahavendi MD Internal Medicine Specialist
65. Dr. Roozbeh Zand MD Gynecology Oncologist 
66. Dr. Mona Sadeghpour MD Dermatologist
67. Dr. Alireza Agahi MD Researcher at Mayo Clinic 
68. Dr. Masoomeh Faghankhani MD Researcher at Washington University
69. Dr. Katayoun Abtin DPM Podiatrist 
70. Dr. Arshan Beyzaei Arani MD Critical Care and Pulmonologist