TEHRAN – A court was held in Tehran on Wednesday indicting 30 U.S. officials and entities for harsh sanctions against Iran which are threatening the lives of hundreds of epidermolysis bullosa (EB) patients in the country.

A lawsuit has been filed by 295 EB patients and their families against 30 individuals and entities, including the U.S. government, over the consequences of the medicine sanctions, Judge Salman Pourmoridi said.

“So, we have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, former President Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo, Brian Hook, and other individuals and entities directly and indirectly involved in the imposition of sanctions, and we seek compensation,” he explained.

The criminal policy of the United States government has caused the death of 15 EB patients from 2010 to 2018. The criminal policy of the United States government has caused the death of 15 EB patients from 2010 to 2018 when the Swedish bandage maker has decided to halt shipments to Iran due to fear of secondary sanctions as part of over-compliance.

These patients suffer from epidermolysis bullosa, a severe and life-threatening skin condition, which causes extremely painful wounds. Many are children, who are often referred to as “butterfly kids” because of their fragile skin.

Across the country, 950 people have been diagnosed with EB, but considering that EB is estimated to occur in 1 newborn per 50,000 live births, it is suggested that in Iran 1,200 people are suffering EB.

Without the bandages, they face difficulties even in their daily routine, including walking, eating, or even breathing, and unfortunately, there is no alternative treatment for such pain.

“All over the world, the patients use a special dressing and have no other medicine to reduce the disease process, and over 80 countries of the world use the same dressing, which is produced only by a Swedish company.

We also asked Turkey and India to purchase more bandages, but because the number of patients is already known, the Swedish company realized and refused to sell more,” he stated.

Votes will be issued within a week after the submission of additional bills, he further concluded.

Exemptions for humanitarian trade (such as food, medicine, and medical equipment) have not been effective in protecting Iranian patients from access to imported medicine.

Sanctions hurting Iran’s ‘butterfly kids’: UN

Over-compliance with United States-imposed sanctions against Iran is harming the right to health, and people with rare skin disease are among those affected, many of them children, experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said on October 20.

As a result, EB patients in Iran can no longer enjoy the right to health, said the experts.

FB/MG