Hundreds of schoolgirls have been poisoned in recent months in a number of cities throughout Iran, including the city of Qom, which is considered holy for Shia Islam, probably in an attempt to close their schools and thus prevent the provision of education.
Since the end of November, local media have reported cases of respiratory poisoning of hundreds of ten-year-old girls in schools, some of whom were even hospitalized for a short period. About two weeks ago, their parents gathered in front of the city hall to demand explanations, and the next day the government announced the opening of an investigation. Last night, following the investigation, Deputy Health Minister Younes Panhai hinted that the poisoning from which the girls suffered was the result of a deliberate act: “It turned out that some people wanted all the schools, especially the girls’ schools, to be closed.”
The investigation shows that the poisoning was caused by chemical substances that are available to everyone, and which are not in military use. On the other hand, Education Minister Yosef Nouri called the reports rumors and claimed that the students who were taken to the hospital have underlying illnesses. “So far, no microbial infection has been detected and there are no ongoing complications for the poisoned students or those who felt poisoned,” he claimed.
However, the Laurstan District Deputy reported that at least 107 female students were poisoned at the girls’ high school. In addition, there are reports that over 40 female students from a girls’ school in the village of Janat Abad near Tehran were also poisoned.