In recent months, dozens of establishments have been the target of attacks with toxic products, each time targeting schoolgirls.
Sudden headaches, dizziness, vomiting… These are the symptoms of schoolgirls targeted for several weeks by unclaimed attacks across Iran. Under pressure from families, the Iranian regime has been investigating since February 26 to shed light on this wave of poisonings and its sponsors, as reported by the Guardian (article in English). But the authorities are struggling to stop this phenomenon, and attacks were still reported on Saturday March 4. Franceinfo traces the thread of these poisonings which are creating controversy in Iran.
1 When did these poisonings go back to?
The first reports came in the fall of 2022, when protests against the regime were in full swing in Iran. On November 30, 18 schoolgirls fell suddenly ill and had to be taken to hospital in Qom, in the north of the country, recalls the BBC (in English). Since then, illnesses of this type have been reported in around fifty schools across the country, affecting more than a thousand young girls, explains the British channel, which reviewed local media alerts and checked dozens of videos posted on social networks. Despite the regime’s censorship, images filmed by local residents, showing schoolgirls taken away in ambulances, have circulated widely, especially on Instagram.
On Saturday, the day the Islamic regime resumes school, Iranian media again reported poisoning cases in five provinces. Dozens of young girls were transferred to hospitals in the provinces of Hamedan (west), Zanjan and West Azebaijan (northwest), Fars (south) and Alborz (north), news agencies reported. Mehr and Tasnim.
2 What is the condition of the schoolgirls after these poisonings?
No deaths related to this phenomenon have so far been reported. Young girls affected by this mysterious illness generally suffer from migraines, respiratory problems and dizziness. Some have told the BBC (in Persian) not being able to feel their legs anymore. Almost all of them returned to normal health within 24 hours of becoming unwell, Iranian media reported.
But the families of the victims do not want to stop there, and some demonstrated in front of the governorate of Qom, in the city of Kermanshah or in the Tehran region. In front of the establishments concerned, worried parents gathered to hold the school teams to account, in vain. In many cases, sick schoolgirls reported smelling strong odors, “tangerine or bleach”detail the Iranian media, but the cause of these evils has not been identified with certainty.
3 How are the Iranian authorities reacting?
Initially silent despite the growing number of reports, the regime finally launched investigations into these suspicious cases. “After the poisoning of several students in [la ville de] Qom (…), it was found that some people wanted all schools, especially girls’ schools, to be closed”said Younes Panahi, Deputy Minister of Health, quoted at the end of February by the Guardian. However, no details were given on the sponsors.
For some opposition movements, the Iranian regime is behind this wave of intoxication, in order to put pressure on young girls, some of whom have publicly displayed their disgust with the Islamic Republic in recent months. A charge refuted en bloc by the government, which has pointed the finger at a whole series of “guilty” for a week.
According to President Ebrahim Raisi, it would rather be a “plot of enemies” aiming to “create fear and despair” among Iranians, state agency IRNA reported (article in English). They seek to “vscreate problems in the streets, the markets and in the schools”continued the manager, without identifying these “enemies” strongly criticized. For what [l’Iran]“a country that has raised the female literacy rate from 44% in 1979 to 99% in 2020” would it be “against sending girls to school?”defends itself in another post the agency IRNA, mouthpiece of the Islamic Republic.
Faced with the gravity of the situation, the international community reacted. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights calls for “a transparent investigation“whose results should be shared.”We are very concerned about these allegations that girls are being deliberately targeted in what appear to be mysterious circumstances.“said his spokeswoman, Ravina Shamdasani, on Friday, quoted by AFP. “These poisonings demand a prompt, transparent and impartial investigation”claims for its part, on its site (content in English), Human Rights Watch. However, the NGO believes that the Iranian regime “has a terrible record of investigating violence against girls and women”.