Schoolgirl poisonings continue across Iran
Dozens of schoolgirls were poisoned in several schools across Iran on Saturday, according to local media, continuing a mysterious phenomenon that has shaken the country for months.
Many schools, mostly for girls, have been affected by sudden poisoning incidents from gases or toxic substances since late November, causing fainting and hospitalization among students in some cases.
According to a local official, at least "60 students were poisoned in a girls' school in the town of Haftkel" in the oil-rich southwestern province of Khuzestan.
A number of schoolgirls were poisoned in "five schools in Ardabil in the northwest," where the victims displayed symptoms of "anxiety, shortness of breath, and headaches," according to a provincial medical official.
"A number of schoolgirls were taken to hospital on Saturday after feeling sick," ILNA news agency reported without further elaboration from Urmia, the capital of West Azerbaijan province.
According to an official count released on March 7, "more than 5,000 students" were affected by similar poisonings in over 230 establishments spread across 25 of the country's 31 provinces.
On Friday, the head of the national fact-finding committee formed to investigate these cases, MP Hamidreza Kazemi, stated that "the final report" would be published "in two weeks."
"We have received reports from various bodies, and we are investigating the matter in order to present our findings to parliament," he was quoted as saying by state television.
On March 6, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called for "severe sentences" up to the death penalty for those found responsible for the poisonings, which he called "unforgivable crimes."
The poisoning cases began two months after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, on September 16, following her arrest for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code for women.
Leave A Comment