In Iran, the first suspects have been arrested for poisoning thousands of Iranian schoolgirls. This was announced by Deputy Interior Minister Majid Mirahmadi on Tuesday, according to AFP news agency. The arrests were made in five different provinces. Mirahmadi did not say how many suspects are involved, and what their identities and motives are. The investigation is still ongoing. The poisonings have reignited protests against women’s oppression and the government that began in September in the country.
Since November, a series of poisoning of schoolgirls has taken place in Iran. According to a member of the parliamentary committee investigating the poisonings, about 5,000 girls across the country have already been victims. Hundreds of them have been hospitalized. They inhaled “unpleasant” or “unfamiliar” odors at school, after which they exhibited symptoms such as dizziness and shortness of breath. Despite the many casualties, no deaths or serious injuries have yet occurred. The poison is probably spread through ventilation systems.
Lax government is angering
In Iran, the case has caused great anger among the population. Some believe that the government itself is behind the poisonings, although there is no evidence for this accusation. Still others think that religious extremists are poisoning schoolgirls in protest against women’s education. That while women’s education in Iran is certainly not controversial. Since the Islamic revolution in 1976, the number of women who can read and write has increased from 26 percent to 85 percent in 2021, according to the World Bank. Women have been in universities since 2011 even in the majority.
It is certain that the attitude of the government at home and abroad is seen as inadequate. An investigation was only launched last week, while the number of victims continued to rise. President Ebrahim Raisi speaks of a “conspiracy of the enemy to instill fear and despair in the people”. The Iranian government, meanwhile, is outraged by the crime. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in his first public statements on the case that the perpetrators “should be sentenced to severe punishments” and that amnesty is out of the question. Not empty threats, given the criminal law in Iran, where corporal punishment and executions are not uncommon. The United Nations urged a “transparent investigation.”