Thousands of Iranian schoolgirls have fallen ill in recent weeks due to suspected poisoning yet no one knows who the culprit is. Is it the regime? Is it a pro-regime organization or group? The question still lingers but meanwhile fear has gripped communities across Iran as the country’s citizens are left in the dark. According to one report, Iranian human rights groups have said at least 7,068 students have been affected in a minimum of 103 schools. Attacks have been recorded in at least 99 cities out of 28 provinces of the country. The highest number of recorded attacks on one day was 81 attacks. These worrying poison attacks come on the heels of the massive protest movement that took off last year in the country under the banner of “woman, life, freedom.” The protest has seen hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets to protest Iran’s brutal regime.
“Based on the intelligence and research measures of the intelligence agencies, a number of people have been arrested in five provinces and the relevant agencies are conducting a full investigation,” the deputy interior minister, Majid Mirahmadi, told state television this week.
Numerous people have criticized the government’s handling of the incidents and several have been called in for questioning by the police. Many critics have accused state media for failing to cover the scale of the alleged attacks. The fact that the attacks have taken place across so vast a distance in so many provinces has led many to believe the attacks could only have been coordinated and carried out by the regime.
Concerned and furious parents are flocking to the streets in Tehran and other Iranian cities, confronting the regime and requesting explanations following a series of suspected poisoning incidents that affected hundreds of schoolgirls nationwide. These acts are being referred to as "intentional and targeted" efforts to prevent girls from receiving an education.
Seemingly under pressure, the regime finally relented and broke its silence over the attacks. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei said on Monday that the poisoning of schoolgirls is an "unforgivable" crime that should be punished by death if deliberate, according to Iran’s state TV.
"Authorities should seriously pursue the issue of students' poisoning," Khamenei was quoted as saying. "If it is proven deliberate, those perpetrators of this unforgivable crime should be sentenced to capital punishment."
The suspected poisonings began in November within the city of Qom and eventually reached 25 out of Iran's 31 provinces, causing some parents to withdraw their children from school and demonstrate. While officials have blamed the Islamic Republic's "foes" for utilizing the assaults to weaken the clerical regime, suspicions have arisen about hardline factions acting as self-proclaimed defenders of their understanding of Islam.
These poisonings are highly reminiscent of the acid attacks that took place in 2014 in Isfahan.
The attacks were a series of incidents that took place in the city of Isfahan, Iran, in October 2014. In these attacks, several women and girls were targeted with acid by unidentified assailants riding on motorcycles. The victims were walking in the street or traveling in cars when they were approached by the attackers, who threw acid on their faces and bodies.
The acid attacks caused severe physical injuries and psychological trauma to the victims. Some suffered permanent disfigurement, blindness, and respiratory problems due to inhalation of the acid fumes. The attacks also sparked widespread outrage and protests in Iran, with many people condemning the violence against women and demanding that the authorities take action to identify and punish the perpetrators.
There were different theories and speculations about the motives behind the acid attacks. Some believed that the attacks were related to personal disputes or revenge, while others suggested that they were part of a broader campaign to intimidate women and restrict their freedom in public spaces. As of now, the identity of the attackers and their motives remain unclear, and the case remains unsolved.
Like the case in Isfahan, protestors today are worried that the attackers will never be found and hundreds of girls will be left with lifelong, permanent disabilities or ailments due to the mysterious poisoning. Unfortunately, the authorities are not reliable and the people of Iran have no one to turn to whom they can trust.
Hopefully, the freedom protests will continue and the Iranian regime will fall. Until then, Iranian citizens will continue to suffer at the hands of a brutal regime bent on harassing and sidelining Iran’s women and girls.
