Epidermolysis Bullosa patients in Iran filed a suit against the Swedish medical device company, Mölnlycke Health Care, in Sweden’s National Contact Point for its unlawful compliance with US sanctions refusing to sell medical care items to Iranian EB patients.
Molnlycke Health Care refused to sell Iranian EB patients medical care items they needed, including Mepilex dressings, citing US sanctions imposed on Iran after Washington ceased its participation in the 2015 nuclear deal signed among Iran and six world powers.
Several children in Iran who suffered from Epidermolysis Bullosa lost their lives due to the lack of urgently needed medical equipment and some others were hurt by severe physical injuries, including amputation.
EB Home Foundation, an NGO for EB patients in Iran, and several Iranian lawyers represented Iranian patients in filing a suit against the Swedish medical company to support victims of this grave Human Rights violation, prevent similar criminal behavior in the future, and demand compensation.
National Contact Point is a mechanism in member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to supervise Multinational Enterprises headquartered in those states.
Observing Human Rights principles and adopting responsible trading behavior by multinational enterprises are among the principle of OECD Guidelines and the enterprises might be sued if they violate the guideline.
The lawsuit request Swedish National Contact Point to hold the company accountable and take action to compensate for the losses Iranian EB patients have suffered and to resume trading with Iran.
Many human rights groups have criticized the US for cutting off banking ties with Iran through threatening the international banks with punitive fines by the US Department of Treasury which has resulted in cutting Iranian patients' access to necessary medical items.
As a painful example, Ava was a little innocent Iranian girl who was succumbed to this illness.
On December 28, 2019, the president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organization (MAPIM) in a letter reacted to the death of Ava and other children under the cruel sanctions, saying "We are extremely saddened and equally outraged by the suffering of a toddler who suffered and finally died due to the inhumane US sanctions on Iran."
Ava's story is a heart-wrenching case of a pure innocent baby who was deprived of the medical care she needed, he said.
Her very short life was full of pain as she was born with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB).
Her death is the death of humanity, he said.
US medical terrorism was limited not only to EB patients in Iran but also to blocking the Iranian Red Crescent Society's accounts which hampered humanitarian aids from other countries to Iranian flood-stricken people in 2019.