Suspected Poisoning of 1000 Iranian School Girls
Arrests have been made in Iran following the terrifying reports that over 1000 Iranian girls were poisoned in over 50 schools.
It was confirmed last Wednesday (international women’s day), that at least eight schools throughout Iran reported poisoning incidents in one day. These alleged poisonings have been happening since late November and they seem targeted with the victims being only girls’ schools.
While the Iranian government has refused to directly attribute these incidents to a particular cause, they began investigations. Meanwhile, other citizens, media and state politicians seem to be blaming religious groups opposed to educating girls.
These poisonings have also been reputedly tied to the killing of Mahsa Amini, back in September 2022. Which caused nationwide and global protests against the Iranian government’s attempts to silence Iranian women.
The theory is; as a result of the women protesting in Iran, self-imposed guardians of their interpretation of Islam have taken it upon themselves to retaliate. The attacks began with schools in the holy Shi’ite Muslim city of Qom and spread to 25 of Iran’s 31 provinces.
Parents have already begun to pull their kids out of school for fear that they might be hurt. Although the girls have been hospitalized, the symptoms so far have been respiratory, cardiac and neurological issues, and no deaths have been reported. The issues recorded were; trouble breathing, heart palpitations, nausea, and numbness in their limbs. According to CNN, they also claimed to smell mysterious scents including tangerines and chlorides. Which has encouraged the theory that some sort of poisonous gas was used.
It is yet to be officially confirmed what the cause of these symptoms was. Alireza Monadi, head of Parliament’s education committee, recently said that the schools had been deliberately attacked and that 30 toxicologists in the Health Ministry believed the toxins were nitrogen gas. Yet some authorities claim the victims are simply experiencing symptoms of “stress,”.
A few experts told CNN of their suspicion that the poisonings are “remarkably similar” to incidents that have taken place at schools in Afghanistan since 2009. Mild poisonings caused by a pesticide.
Parents, teachers, human rights activists and other supporters have begun to hold protests and rallies. Where Iranians chanted “death to the child-killing government”.
Other countries and international organizations have also shown support like in the case of the rally held in Vancouver, Canada. The American president, Joe Biden also spoke on the matter in an address last Monday. He said he remains “gravely concerned about reports of the intensifying violent crackdown on peaceful protesters in Iran, including students and women, who are demanding their equal rights and basic human dignity.”
Recent reports say that 100 arrests have been made in connection to the poisonings. Very little information on the arrests has been released so far and none of the suspects has been publicly identified. What Iran’s Interior Ministry did reveal was that the arrested suspects had “hostile motives” against people and students, they intended to shut down schools and paint the Iranian government in a bad light.
The ministry also claims that the number of attacks has reduced since the arrests but does not clarify when the arrests took place.
Investigations are still ongoing.
All images are sourced from Twitter
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