Poisonings at girls’ schools in Iran have been reported again and again since the end of November. After an investigation, the authorities announced that they had not found any poisonous substance. On the contrary, dissidents deliberately fueled fears.
According to official information, Iran has found no evidence of a suspected wave of poisoning of schoolgirls. “No toxic substance was found during the on-site investigations and in the laboratories,” said a report by the Ministry of Intelligence, which was quoted in the state media.
There are also no fatalities or long-term physical damage. Rather, dissidents would have stirred up fears in order to produce propaganda videos. “The enemy’s role in fueling this crisis is certain and undeniable,” it said.
Incidents in almost all provinces
The alleged poisoning attacks began in November in the city of Kom, holy to Shiites. According to the Hrana news agency, they then spread to 28 of the 31 provinces. According to the semi-official news agency Isna, around 5,000 schoolgirls suffered from symptoms such as nausea and shortness of breath after they reportedly noticed “unpleasant” odors on the school premises. Some of them fainted or had to be hospitalized.
In view of the accumulation of cases, the parents of the affected students demonstrated and called on the government to act. Some took their children out of school. The alleged poisonings came two months after nationwide protests for more women’s rights and democratic reforms began.
Allegedly 100 arrests
Authorities blamed unspecified enemies of the Islamic Republic. However, there was speculation that the culprits were hard-line groups, whose actions are based on their own interpretation of Islam. At the beginning of March, Iran reported that it had arrested more than 100 people in connection with the poisoning.