Coronavirus: Iran cover-up of deaths revealed by data leak
The number of deaths from coronavirus in Iran is nearly triple what Iran's government claims, a BBC Persian service investigation has found.
There have been irregularities in data between national and regional levels, which some local authorities have spoken out about,A level of undercounting, largely due to testing capacity, is seen across the world, but the information leaked to the BBC reveals Iranian authorities have reported significantly lower daily numbers despite having a record of all deaths - suggesting they were deliberately suppressed.
The discrepancy between the official figures and the number of deaths on these records also matches the difference between the official figure and calculations of excess mortality until mid-June. The overall trend of cases and deaths in the leaked data is similar to official reports, albeit different in size.
Crucially the first recorded death on the leaked list occurred on 22 January, a month before the first case of coronavirus was officially reported in Iran. When Dr Mohammad Molayi and Dr Ali Molayi lost their brother, they insisted he should still be tested for Covid-19, which turned out to be positive.
Nevertheless state TV ran a report criticising him and falsely claiming the video of his brother was months old.The start of outbreak coincided both with the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and with parliamentary elections. In November 2018, the government increased the price of petrol overnight and cracked down violently on protests which followed. Hundreds of protesters were killed in a few days.
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