Hundreds of female students have allegedly been poisoned in Iranian schools to stop them from attending.
Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Younes Panahi confirmed to the IRNA state news agency that “some people” had been poisoning young schoolgirls since November last year.
He reportedly said: “After the poisoning of several students in Qom schools, it was found that some people wanted all schools, especially girls’ schools, to be closed.
“It has been revealed that the chemical compounds used to poison students are not war chemicals and the poisoned students do not need aggressive treatment, and a large percentage of the chemical agents used are treatable.”
The statement comes after a number of girls reportedly experienced problems breathing, with some needing hospital treatment.
Iran International has reported that the poisoning began in the city of Qom, some 140 kilometres south of the Iranian capital Tehran, before spreading to other cities.
At least 15 allegedly poisoned schoolgirls were reportedly taken to hospital in Qom on 22nd February and are currently under observation.
Cases of poisoning have been reported at no less than 14 girls’ schools in four different cities, according to local media.
Messages have reportedly been appearing on Telegram from a group that calls itself the “Devotees of the Supreme”, saying that education for girls is forbidden and will only poison them.
The messages also reportedly warned that girls across the country would be poisoned if their schools were not closed down.
The Iranian authorities are reportedly investigating the poisonings.
Women in Iran are in a precarious situation, more so since Iranian forces began cracking down on waves of civil disorder following the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, from Saqqez, Kurdistan Province.
She was on a visit to Tehran when she was arrested by morality police, accused of violating hijab rules on 13th September 2022.
She was allegedly beaten while in custody and spent the following days in a coma in the hospital before succumbing in the ICU on 16th September.
The clinic where she was treated said in a now-deleted social media post that she had been admitted brain-dead.
Alleged medical scans of her skull leaked by hackers showed that she had suffered bone fractures, haemorrhages, and brain oedema.
Independent Iranian media have claimed that Mahsa’s medical records showing a history of heart disease that officials gave as the cause of death were faked by the Iranian government.
Numbers differ regarding how many people have been killed since the protests began.
The ongoing protests in Iran have killed at least 516 people, according to independent estimates.
It is also understood that approximately 20,000 people have been arrested.
