CNN has received similar accounts of patients expressing fear of going to hospitals

CNN, June 29, 2009 — Iranians wounded during protests are being seized at hospitals by members of an Islamic militia, an Amnesty International official told CNN.
’The Basijis are waiting for them,’ said Banafsheh Akhlaghi, western regional director of the human rights group, referring to the government’s paramilitary arm that has cracked down on protesters during the violent aftermath of the June 12 presidential election.
Amnesty International has collected accounts from people who have left Iran and expatriates with relatives there who say the Basij has prohibited medical professionals from getting identification information from wounded demonstrators who check in, Akhlaghi said on Saturday. They are also not allowed to ask how the injuries happened, and relatives are hard pressed to find the wounded.
Once the patients are treated, the militia removes them from the hospital to an undisclosed location, she said.
Iran has restricted international news agencies, including CNN, from reporting inside the Islamic republic. However, CNN has received similar accounts, including that of a woman who arrived in the United States from Iran with a broken ankle and thumb. Watch reports of the crackdown on protesters at their homes »
The woman, who didn’t want to be identified for fear of her safety, said she was injured in a rally, but was too scared to go to a hospital. Instead, a doctor came to her home to treat her.
’The point is, when they are being taken to the hospital they don’t actually get there,’ her friend who accompanied her told CNN last week. ’Just like the reporters are being told not to report what they really see. Hospitals, administrative levels, are being told to stay out of the public because they’re saying you’re accusing the regime of being hostile.’
Amnesty International is also reporting the detention of at least 70 scholars and eight politicians — most from former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami’s administration — in addition to several opposition activists and international journalists.