Graphics by Gabriel Andrei Angeles
Over 1000 school girls in Iran have suffered from “mild” gas poisoning in Iran since November 2022. Parents, onlookers, and activists have since claimed these attacks on innocent children have been sanctioned by state extremists in response to the ongoing protests on Women’s Rights in Iran.
State media reports multiple poisoning incidents since November 2022, 3 months after the protests broke out over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died under the custody of Morality police. Witnesses said that they have seen suspicious objects thrown over schoolyards. A video of a teacher was posted online, asking their students if they had smelled something after one of their classmates had difficulty breathing. Multiple parents of the victims, teachers, and medical professionals had come forward, saying that they were pressured not to speak about the attacks.
It was only last Monday, March 6, 2023, that the Iranian Government made a statement regarding the reports after months of ignoring the said issue and after International news coverage. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that if the incidents were deliberate, the culprits should be sentenced for an “Unforgivable Crime.” However, parents, medics, and activists were not convinced by this statement as Iranian authorities have a bad record for investigating violence against women according to Human Rights watch. Multiple protests occurred over the weekend against the poisoning attacks.
Sources: Bland, A. (2023, March 6). What do we know about suspected poisonings of schoolgirls in Iran? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/.../what-do-we-know-suspected...
Elbagir et al. (2023, March 6). Medics, teachers, parents accuse Iran government of silencing victims of suspected poisoning attacks. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/.../hfr-iran-suspected.../index.html
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