Iran has arrested more than 100 people involved in the case of suspected poisoning of hundreds of students across the country, according to the state news agency IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency). The country’s Ministry of Interior reported that the criminals were investigated, identified and arrested in several cities, including the capital, Tehran.
“Initial investigations show that several of these people, out of malice or adventurism and with the aim of closing classrooms influenced by the psychological atmosphere created, took measures such as the use of harmless and malodorous substances”, says the ministry statement.
Iran has seen a wave of suspected poisonings in recent months, particularly in girls’ schools. Iranian politicians suggest the girls could have been targeted by hardline Islamist groups, which advocate that women should not study. Some activists, however, believe that the poisonings could be linked to the protests over the death of Mahsa Amini that took place in September last year. The 22-year-old girl was murdered by the “morality police”, established by the Islamic State, for violating the law that determines the obligatory use of the hijab — the veil that covers the hair of Muslim women.
At the time, many female students took an active part in the protests, removing their hijabs in the classroom and tearing up photos of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Days ago, Khamenei condemned the alleged poisonings, calling them “unforgivable crimes” and calling for “severe punishment” for anyone found responsible for them.
The first suspicions of poisoning took place in November at a secondary school in the city of Qom, more than 150 km from Tehran, where 18 students were hospitalized. One girl experienced nausea, shortness of breath, and numbness in her left leg and right hand. Another had “difficulty walking”.
In February, another incident in the city, even more serious, left more than 100 students in 13 schools hospitalized. Iranian agencies described the episode as “serial poisoning”.
Both the United States and the United Nations urged Iranian authorities to fully investigate suspected poisonings and punish those responsible. The White House said on Monday there must be a “credible and independent” investigation into student poisonings in Iran, suggesting it could be within the purview of the United Nations to investigate the matter.