New obstacle to the education of very young girls in Iran: after male and female university students, it is now high school students who have been targeted by cases of poisoning that have been on the rise in the country’s schools for more than three months. Nausea, malaise and sore throat that can lead to hospitalization… Hundreds of students are victims of respiratory poisoning. Far from being symptoms of a mysterious epidemic, these are targeted attacks. The target? Close schools and deprive young Iranian women of their education.
An investigation opened under pressure from families
New cases of poisoning were therefore reported on Sunday 6 March in various regions of the country, bringing the number of establishments affected since November to 58. If the aggressors are not formally identified, the government opened an investigation on February 26, under pressure from the families.
As revealed by the British newspaper Keeperthese poisonings would be a “ vendetta following the role played by young women in the protest movements that rocked the country after the death of teenager Mahsa Amini on 16 September, arrested by the morality police because the veil did not sufficiently cover her hair. A wave of demonstrations followed, to defend the right to dress freely and to denounce the regime of Ebrahim Raïsi.
The government downplays the poisonings
Why did the government wait until the end of February to open an investigation? While international organizations are also calling for a transparent investigation, such as the NGO Human Rights Watchthe Iranian government is trying at all costs to defuse the matter, citing ” a very small percentage of poisoning caused by intentional actions “, but with ” an important part of students suffering from complications due to anxiety and stress “.
As remembered FranceInfo, doubts still hover about the identity of the perpetrators of these attacks:
For some opposition movements, the Iranian regime is behind this wave of intoxication, to put pressure on the girls, some of whom have publicly expressed their disgust towards the Islamic Republic in recent months. An accusation completely denied by the government, which has been pointing the finger at a whole series of “guilty” for a week.
According to President Ebrahim Raisi, it would rather be a “enemies conspiracy” with the purpose of “create fear and despair” among Iranians, the state agency IRNA reported (article in English). They try to “making trouble in the streets, markets and schools”continued the manager, without identifying them “enemies” heavily criticized.
For what [l’Iran]“a country that raised the female literacy rate from 44% in 1979 to 99% in 2020” would be “Against sending girls to school? »the Irna agency, spokesman for the Islamic Republic, defends itself in another post.
FranceInfo on 03/04/2023
In a statement released on Saturday evening, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi reported the discovery” suspicious samples ” during ” field research “, without further details. These poisonings, which drive many parents to withdraw their daughters from school, constitute a further attack on the freedoms of Iranian women and reinforce the context of repression that weighs on their rights.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
