New cases of poisoning of girls were recorded today, Sunday (March 5, 2023), in several areas in IranWhere the mystery still surrounds the issue that arouses anger in the country. The poisoning of a number of female students was reported in two secondary schools for girls, in Abhar (west) and Ahwaz (southwest), and in an elementary school as well in Zanjan (west), according to the ISNA news agency, quoting local health officials.
The poisoning cases also affected female students in the schools of the holy city of Mashhad (northeast), Shiraz (south), and Isfahan (center), according to the Mehr and ILNA news agencies.
Hundreds of schoolgirls have been exposed to gas poisoning in dozens of education centers over the past three months, according to official figures.
In a statement published on Saturday evening, Interior Minister Ahmed Wahidi spoke of the discovery of “suspicious samples” during the “field research”, without revealing further details. On Friday, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi called on the interior and intelligence ministries to “thwart the enemy’s plot aimed at spreading fear and despair among the population.” In response to a question by Fars News Agency, Deputy Interior Minister Majid Marhamdi accused “the cause of girls’ poisoning” of wanting to “close schools” and “blaming the regime” in order to “revive dormant riots.” The official refers to the protest movement that has erupted in Iran since the death of the young woman Mahsa Amini On September 16, days after she was arrested by the “morality police” for violating the country’s strict dress code.
Marhamdi considered that a “small percentage” of the poisoning cases resulted from “deliberate actions,” but that a “large number” of the schoolgirls suffered from complications due to “anxiety and stress.”
Today, Sunday, the Iranian daily newspaper, Sharq, said that hundreds of Iranian artists have signed a petition calling for an investigation into a wave of poisoning cases among Iranian schoolgirls and students over the past three months. The newspaper said about 500 prominent artists had signed the petition. Parents took to the streets in response to the poisoning cases that led to the hospitalization of girls, and demanded clarification from the authorities amid growing anger. “The mass deliberate attacks on girls’ schools in the country is a new disaster that aims nothing more than to sow terror and increase the costs of the natural rights of girls in society,” the petition said, according to the newspaper. “We condemn this tragedy and demand that the perpetrators be arrested and punished,” the petition added.
“Suddenly, there was a very bad smell, I felt sick and fell to the ground,” a female student told TV. Also, Parasto, a student at Borujerd School (West), told the “Ham Mihan” newspaper that she was taken to the hospital after she “felt nausea and severe pain” in her chest. An emergency doctor at this city’s hospital said that “most of the female students” show “symptoms of headache, respiratory problems, lethargy, nausea and low blood pressure.”
In pictures – Protests against the regime in Iran since the establishment of the “Islamic Republic”
1989 Demonstrations against the concentration of power
Almost a month after the establishment of the “Islamic Republic” in 1979, demonstrations broke out led by women against the imposition of wearing the veil, and they dispersed them by beating or shooting in the air. While the “Islamic Revolution” in Iran was celebrating the tenth anniversary of its establishment, the country was hit by a severe political crisis, punctuated by demonstrations, following the dismissal of the cleric, Hossein Ali Montazeri, from the post of Deputy Guide of the Islamic Revolution. Montazeri’s dismissal is due to his opposition to the concentration of power in the hands of the Supreme Leader.
In pictures – Protests against the regime in Iran since the establishment of the “Islamic Republic”
1999.. Student uprising
Demonstrations took place at the University of Tehran in July 1999 over the closure of a reformist newspaper, Salam. The spark for the protests was the University of Tehran, while police repression of the protesters led to the expansion of the demonstrations and their continuation for nearly a week. And the police arrested more than a thousand students at the time.
In pictures – Protests against the regime in Iran since the establishment of the “Islamic Republic”
2003 – Students spark protests again
In 2003, student demonstrations broke out against the decision to privatize several universities, while the protests developed after the security forces entered the campus of the University of Tehran, and the demonstrations spread to other Iranian cities. The students chanted against religious symbols and against President Muhammad Khatami.
In pictures – Protests against the regime in Iran since the establishment of the “Islamic Republic”
2009…”The Green Revolution”
In 2009, Iran witnessed protests led by the opposition, who accused the authorities of rigging the presidential elections in favor of Ahmadinejad winning a second term. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians participated in the protests, refusing to recognize the election results within the framework of what was called the “Green Revolution” movement.
In pictures – Protests against the regime in Iran since the establishment of the “Islamic Republic”
2017 White Wednesday protests
In 2017, a wave of women’s protests against compulsory veiling began, while online campaigns were launched to encourage women to wear white clothes every Wednesday as part of what was called the “White Wednesdays” campaign. And some Iranian women published pictures and video clips without veiling in public places.
In pictures – Protests against the regime in Iran since the establishment of the “Islamic Republic”
2017… Demonstrations against the high price
At the end of 2017, protests broke out in several Iranian cities against the increase in food prices and the wave of high prices at the time. The protests began in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city in terms of population, but then moved to several cities, including Hamedan, Isfahan, Sanandaj, and the capital, Tehran.
In pictures – Protests against the regime in Iran since the establishment of the “Islamic Republic”
2018 leaderless protests
The “No to High Prices” protests continued in 2018, resulting in dozens of deaths and thousands of arrests. Unlike the “Green Revolution” demonstrations of 2009, the wave of protests in 2017 and 2018 was leaderless and largely unorganised.
In pictures – Protests against the regime in Iran since the establishment of the “Islamic Republic”
2019… Demonstrations against raising fuel prices
In November 2019, Iran witnessed a new wave of protests against the Iranian government’s sudden announcement of an increase in fuel prices by at least 50 percent. The protests resulted in deaths and injuries, while banks and shops were set on fire.
In pictures – Protests against the regime in Iran since the establishment of the “Islamic Republic”
2020.. Protests after the downing of a Ukrainian plane
In 2020, student demonstrations took place against the government over the downing of a Ukrainian plane minutes after it took off from Khomeini Airport. Days after denying its involvement in the downing of the Ukrainian plane, the Iranian government issued a statement acknowledging its responsibility for the accident that killed all 176 people on board. Prepared by: Muhammad Farhan
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