Setayesh Amiri, 17, a high school student from Larestan and a protester against the poisoning of students, remains detained without standing trial in the notorious Adelabad Prison of Shiraz, despite the passage of nearly 4 months since being arrested. Security services arrested Setayesh Amiri and her father in early March concerning the chemical attacks on the schools in Larestan Country, Fars Province, in southern Iran.
Erfaneh Honar, 19, and Setayesh Darougheh, 16, were also arrested with her but were later released.
Setayesh Amiri and her father, Ebrahim Amiri, were tortured to accept false allegations of having ties with “foreign media” and being involved in the “poisoning of students.”
The false confessions extracted under torture from Setayesh Amiri and her father, Ebrahim Amiri, Setayesh Darugheh, Erfaneh Honar, and another man, Alireza Bagheri, were broadcast from the state TV. The confessions were seasoned with edited videos and unclear information.
Clerical regime attributed the organized chemical attacks on school girls to foreign enemies
The elementary and high schools in Iran, mostly girls’ schools, were targeted in a wave of organized chemical attacks beginning November 30, 2022. The chemical attacks were carried out on over 700 schools in over 160 cities nationwide.
Various Health Ministry, MPs, and regime officials have put the number of students affected between 5,000 to 13,000. The number has increased since the announcements in February and early March. Tragically, at least five children have lost their lives so far.
After five months of keeping the public in the dark, the clerical regime’s Ministry of Intelligence issued a statement on April 28, 2023. The statement said: “No toxic substances have been distributed in any schools in the country; however, non-toxic agents that have caused panic were accidentally or intentionally used in some reported environments.
“Undoubtedly, there was no network for distributing poisonous substances in the country, but various networks in cyberspace (from inside or outside the country) have been identified for producing and spreading rumors, creating school panic, attempting to close schools, protesting parents of students, deliberately accusing the Islamic Republic system and its followers, which a considerable number of them have been tracked and identified, and all of them will be pursued.
“The enemy’s role in spreading rumors and creating panic is completely evident and undeniable.”
The Ministry of Intelligence then vowed to arrest and punish those who spread such rumors: “The system’s definite intention is to deal seriously and without hesitation with those who spread rumors and create panic. The right to legally prosecute individuals, groups, media, and affiliated human media who have made baseless accusations against the system or innocent individuals and groups along with the enemies of the Iranian nation will be preserved.”
