May 15 2023

In the heart-wrenching saga of a nation teetering on the brink of economic collapse, a hauntingly lucrative enterprise emerges, reaching unprecedented heights in Iran: the shameless trafficking of human organs.

This macabre trade, with its grotesque nature and moral bankruptcy, stands as a chilling testament to the depths of a human tragedy. While there have been numerous reports about this problem, a recent article published in the state-run Jahan-e Sanat newspaper brought this tragedy into the spotlight again.

The May 3 article, entitled “life traders,” made headlines, prompting the ruling theocracy to order the paper to remove it.

In recent years, as the weight of skyrocketing living expenses and unabated destitution bears down upon the populace, the insidious allure of this enterprise has thrived.

The article begins with a chilling advertisement on the wall: “I sell my body parts, even my heart. I am 33 years old, and I need the money to feed my wife and four children and pay off my rent. I’m not unemployed. I have been a laborer for 23 years.”

While kidneys, the coveted lifeblood of the trade, continue to be in high demand, the boundaries of this sordid marketplace have long been breached. From the hollow depths of its origin over a decade ago, it has metamorphosed into a grotesque bazaar where the liver, bone marrow, and cornea are mercilessly bartered. Each transaction further exacerbates the somber plight that afflicts the nation, sinking it deeper into the abyss of desolation.

“Going down in Vali-Asr Street and near the Judicial Palace, there is an alley, which is the kidney marketplace. There is no one there, but one can find a wall filled with advertisements of selling body parts,” the article writes, adding that “In the past year, alongside kidney advertisements, liver, bone marrow, eye cornea, sperm, and ovum donation have also found their way onto the walls. Moreover, a website bearing the same name has been launched, facilitating easy connections between individuals seeking these services.

“In the preceding year, the Kidney Association of Iran established the kidney donation rate at 800 million rials; however, the actual buying and selling price had surged to 3 billion rials. This year, from the onset, the kidney’s price has oscillated between 5 billion and 10 billion rials. The involvement of intermediaries or the critical condition of the patient, combined with demanding the rare blood type of O-, further increases the price.”

Meanwhile, even according to the regime’s own laws, buying and selling body organs is considered a crime in Iran, and only its donation is legal. Only kidney donation from a living person is possible.

“According to the Ministry of Health’s records, Iran witnessed 420 cases of living kidney transplants in 2020. Recognizing the concerning presence of intermediaries in kidney donation, the Iran Kidney Association, dedicated to supporting kidney patients, established a regulated system for this process, including registration and specific financial arrangements,” Jahan-e Sanat wrote in this regard, adding that the Kidney Association “Initially set the price at 120 million rials and later raised to 340 million rials, the designated amount for donation by the association has now surged to 800 million rials since 2020.”

Now as a body organ’s price fluctuates between 500 million to one billion rials in the black market, more Iranians sell out their vital organs to make a living.

“Our reporter’s interview with sellers indicates they all want to sell their body organs due to poverty, and this is sadly not limited to a specific gender or age. Sometimes, buyers also cannot afford these prices because they should sell their houses or cars to have enough money for a transplant,” Jahan-e Sanat writes.

Thus, as Iranians can no longer afford the high prices of vital organs, many sell their body parts outside of Iran, namely in Iraq, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

“Certain intermediaries with international ties facilitate the travel of organ sellers to neighboring countries like the UAE, Turkey, and Iraq, where they can sell their body parts for sums ranging from $7,000 to $15,000. Unfortunately, in many cases, these sellers become ensnared in the clutches of fraudsters, with fatal consequences. It is worth noting that sellers of body parts lack legal protection within the country, often leaving them with no alternative but to engage in this perilous undertaking,” Jahan-e Sanat acknowledges in this regard.

These sellers are not unemployed; they toil relentlessly to make ends meet. However, the dire economic crisis in the country, exacerbated by the regime’s pervasive corruption, leaves them with no choice but to sacrifice their very own vital organs to secure survival.

“A brief search through Telegram channels and local websites reveals that the trade of body parts extends far beyond Tehran or major cities, encompassing the entire nation—an alarming testament to the widespread destitution evident on the faces of all 80 million Iranians. Poverty is not an overnight creation; it has persistently existed and continues to afflict the populace,” the paper writes in this regard.

As Jahan-e Sanat acknowledges, “Inflation and soaring prices have plunged people into the abyss of poverty. Within Iran’s boundaries, the heart-wrenching plight of individuals haggling over their own body parts for a mere morsel of bread underscores the harrowing tragedy beneath the surface. Kidney sellers, once motivated by desires for material possessions like cars or homes, now find themselves compelled to sell their organs to meet their basic daily needs.”

Jahan-e Sanat’s reporter contacted two sellers, one a worker and the other a single mom with two underage children. The worker is 22 years old and sells his kidney for 5 billion rials and part of his liver for 2 billion rials. The single mom, born in 1987, sells her kidney for 3.4 billion rials. “This is the only way I have to feed my children,” she says.

Engaging in the sale of body organs poses significant risks and can have severe consequences for the individuals involved. The human body is intricately balanced, and the removal of vital organs can lead to life-altering complications, both physical and psychological. Surgical procedures performed outside regulated medical settings and without proper medical expertise increase the chances of infections, surgical errors, and long-term health issues.

Moreover, the emotional toll of parting with an organ and the potential ethical and legal repercussions can inflict lasting harm on a person’s well-being.

But people of one of the world’s richest nations have to sell their body parts to make a living, while the ruling theocracy squanders Iran’s national wealth on terrorism and oppression.

“More people are selling their body organs while Ebrahim Raisi’s government keeps on bragging about eradicating poverty. The poverty line has increased by 210 million rials, and a worker’s salary is around 80 million rials. Yet, the government keeps speaking of eradicating poverty,” Jahan-e Sanat writes in this regard.

These heart-wrenching tragedies, abhorrent in their nature, stoke the flames of social outrage against the ruling theocracy, whose illicit machinations and malignant policies have ruthlessly ravaged the populace’s lives.

“The trade of body organs serves as a stark testament to the dire economic plight and the agonizing struggle for survival faced by members of society, preventing them from experiencing a semblance of normalcy. Such a distressing state of affairs inevitably breeds a myriad of social perils, casting a dark shadow over the fabric of the community,” Jahan-e Sanat warns officials.

Source » ncr-iran

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