NOURNEWS- Iran's Academy of Medical Sciences has condemned the British Medical Journal, The Lancet, for republishing an article it considers "politically-motivated" and containing "false" information about the death of a young Iranian woman last year.
"We are very disappointed to see the republishing of completely false information about the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially regarding doctors and the health service delivery system, in a magazine that is known as a scientific magazine," said Seyed Alireza Marandi, the president of the Academy of Medical Sciences, in a letter sent to Richard Horton, the editor-in-chief of The Lancet.
The article published by The Lancet last week claimed that 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been taken to a police station in Tehran for educational training on Hijab and dress code rules, died on September 16, 2022, "after being arrested, tortured, and beaten."
CCTV footage released by the police showed Amini collapsing on the ground in the police station and being transferred to the hospital in an ambulance.
Iran's Legal Medicine Organization confirmed that her death, followed by foreign-backed riots last year, was caused by an illness and not alleged blows to her head or vital organs.
The Academy of Medical Sciences criticized the article as politically motivated and lacking scientific documentation.
Marandi stated, "It seems that there are material and political interests in writing such false reports, which question the scientific value of the journal."
Marandi, referring to his previous letter dated November 14, 2022, called on The Lancet to issue "a correction" for the article and urged the publication to focus on facts such as the "serious damage" inflicted on the health of Iranian people by the "cruel sanctions imposed by the United States and the West" against Iran.
He also emphasized the role played by Western countries, including the US, in chemical attacks conducted by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein against Iranians during the 1980-88 imposed war on Iran.
NOURNEWS