Firouz Daneshgari, MD, MBA, FRCS, FPMRS
During the 2023–2024 nationwide uprising in Iran, one of the movement’s most tragic and heroic figures was Dr. Aida Rostami, a 36-year-old physician. Her body was discovered showing signs of brutal torture. One of her eyes was gouged out, and half of her face was crushed.
Her crime was upholding her Hippocratic oath.
Dr. Rostami was murdered simply for providing medical care to wounded anti-regime protesters. In December 2023, while tending to injured demonstrators in Tehran’s Ekbatan district, she left a protester’s home to obtain supplies and never returned. She was arrested and ultimately killed by regime forces.
Her journey to medicine was rooted in compassion. After losing her father to cancer as a child, she dedicated her life to helping others. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she selflessly served her fellow Iranians. In the face of tyranny, her commitment to healing became her death sentence.
A New Generation of Resistance
Over the past six to seven years, Iran’s protest movement has matured. Its chants now boldly call for an end to the clerical dictatorship, with cries of “Death to Khamenei.” The regime has responded with violent repression, widespread arrests, and public executions. Among the victims were two members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) resistance units, Behrooze Ehsani and Mehdi Hasani, who were recently hanged.
Since the 12-day war with Israel, the regime has intensified its crackdowns under the pretext of rooting out “Israeli spies.” These raids target all Iranians demanding regime change, especially MEK units, which have carried out daring operations against the IRGC, Basij, and other regime symbols.
The Rise of Iran’s “Night Doctors”
In past uprisings, regime forces raided hospitals, arresting the wounded and torturing them under interrogation. Many hospital directors were forced to hand over patient records to the IRGC. As a result, protesters began avoiding hospitals altogether. Out of this danger, a courageous underground network of medical professionals emerged, known as the “night doctors.”
These doctors secretly treat injured protesters in safe houses, beyond the reach of regime surveillance. Like Dr. Rostami, many have become unsung heroes of Iran’s resistance, some even paying with their lives.
I know this story all too well.
In the 1980s, as a medical student at the University of Tehran, I treated injured activists in their homes and hideouts, using whatever basic supplies were available. Eventually, I was arrested, severely tortured, and imprisoned in the infamous Evin Prison.
From Tehran to the United States, but Never Far Away
After fleeing Iran, I became a professor of surgery and a surgeon-scientist in the United States. Yet the anguish I witnessed in those early years—young people risking everything for freedom—remains etched in my memory.
Today, Iranians from all walks of life are once again rising up to demand a democratic republic. I am inspired by the bravery of fellow physicians who defy the regime’s oppressive tactics to care for the wounded. I am also proud that MEK resistance units are helping to organize and support the underground network of night doctors.
The World Must Act
Doctors like Aida Rostami are making the ultimate sacrifice for the dream of a free Iran. Many now face capital charges such as “enmity against God.” At least two people have already been executed for their involvement in the 2023–2024 protests.
The international community must not remain silent.
Governments and institutions, especially medical associations, should condemn these atrocities, impose serious sanctions, halt negotiations with the regime, and recognize the Iranian people’s right to self-defense.
Rostami had the courage to honor her oath to heal, even at the cost of her life. Thousands of others are showing that same courage today. But they are also watching to see: Will the free world stand with them?
It is time to show the ayatollahs that their reign of terror cannot continue unchecked—not after 45 years of crimes against humanity.