crisis over Suspected cases of poisoning targeting Iranian schoolgirls escalated Sunday, authorities acknowledged over 50 schools bombed in Wave of possible cases. The poisonings have spread more fear among the people parents As did Tehran faced Months of unrest.
He. She remains unclear who or what is responsible Since the alleged poisonings began in November in Holy Shia city of Qom. Reports now refer to schools across 21 years of 30 Iranian provinces witnessed suspected cases, with Girls Schools website of Almost all accidents.
The attacks raised fears that other girls may have been poisoned just for going to school. education for The girls were not challenged in the over 40 years since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Iran was calling on Taliban in Neighboring afghanistan has girls and women Back to school.
Interior Minister Ahmed Wahidi on Saturday said, without elaborating, that investigators had recovered “suspicious samples.” in the chapter of Their investigations into the incidents, by state-run Erna news an agency. He called for calm between publicwhile also Accuse “enemy’s media terrorism of incitement more panic over Alleged poisonings.
However, it wasn’t until she received the poisonings international media Pay attention to that hard- Head of Line Ibrahim Raisi announced An investigation into Wednesday’s events.
Wahidi said that at least 52 schools have been affected by suspected poisonings. Iranian media Reports developed the figure of schools in over 60. At least one The boy’s school was reportedly damaged.
videos of annoyed parents and schoolgirls in emergency rooms with IVs in Their arms dipped social media. Logical of the crisis remains A challenge, given that nearly 100 journalists have been detained by Iran since start of protests in September over the death of 22-year- Old Mahsa Amini. She was arrested by the country’s morality police and later died.
Security force oppression on Those protests saw at least 530 people They were martyred and 19,700 others were arrested, according to human rights activists in Iran.
attacks on women has happened in the past in Iran, recently with Wave of acid attacks in 2014 about Isfahan.
speculation in Iran is under tight control media I have focused on Possibility of exile groups or foreign powers behind poisoning.
Iranian journalists, including Jamila Kadior, one of the prominent figures former The reformist deputy in the Iranian newspaper Etilat cited a supposed statement by A group Calling herself “Fedayeen Vilayat”, she allegedly said that girls’ education was “considered forbidden” and threatened to “spread poisoning”. of Girls across Iran ‘if girls’ schools remain Opens.
Iranian officials have not admitted anything group It is called Fidayeen Velayat, which roughly translates into English as “The Devotees.” of tutelage.” However, Kadior stated of the threat in Printing comes as is remains influential in Iran politics It has links with the theocratic ruling class. the head of Etisalat newspaper also He was appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Another possibility, Kadivar wrote on Saturday, is “mass hysteria.” There have been previous cases of this over the last decades, lately in Afghanistan from 2009 until 2012. Then the World Health Organization wrote about so-called “mass mental illnesses” affecting hundreds of girls in schools across the country.
Reports of Unpleasant odors precede appearance of The symptoms gave credence to this theory of “Mass poisoning,” the World Health Organization wrote at the time causes of These outbreaks have not yielded such evidence yet.”
Iran did not recognize its request world health body for help in achieved. The World Health Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
