On Wednesday, April 19, 2023, the clerical regime continued the poisoning of schoolgirls in Iran.
Ummat Girls’ High School and Yahyavi School in Tehran, Nasiri and Abuzar Girls’ High Schools in Urmia, Chamran Art School in Hamedan, and Pishtazan High School in Dezful were targeted by chemical attacks. The students were poisoned with toxic gas, and many were sent to medical centers for treatment.
Since November, the regime’s officials have responded with blatant lies and negligence to the serial chemical attacks, which have targeted primarily female high school students. Despite the regime’s claims of arresting individuals responsible for throwing sprays, no action has been taken to investigate the root cause of the poisoning.
MP, media Criticize Lack of Action on Poisoning of Schoolgirls
Ahmad Hossein Fallahi, a member of the parliamentary education commission, criticized the government’s lack of action to identify the perpetrators. He called for security institutions to take the matter more seriously, stating the poisoning of female students goes beyond the actions of a few students.
Fallahi said, “After more than five months, it seems that the focus of the Interior Minister and military institutions is on installing cameras and identifying women without hijab, not the perpetrators of poisoning… The security institutions should follow up this issue more seriously because it seems that they are dealing with this matter very superficially. This approach may not have good consequences for the state… The news media and official news agencies claimed that a number of people have been arrested for actions such as throwing sprays, etc. But in my opinion, the poisoning of students is beyond the mischief of a few students.” (The state-run khabaronline.ir, April 19, 2023)
The state-run Eghtesaad24.ir also wrote, “Five months have passed since the publication of the first news of students being poisoned in schools, there is still no news of identifying the perpetrators. In such circumstances, the authorities call the poisoning of students as “discomfort” and childish mischief.” (The state-run Eghtesaad24.ir, April 19, 2023)
UN Urged to Investigate Poisoning of Schoolgirls
Forty-four years of impunity of the clerical regime’s leaders have emboldened them to commit more heinous acts, such as poisoning of schoolgirls. The Iranian Resistance calls for an independent investigation by the UN international fact-finding committee to expose the regime’s systematic crimes against students.
It is profoundly concerning that innocent students continue to be targeted and killed by the regime while authorities continue to downplay the situation. The world must stop these crimes against humanity and hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
