Iran schoolgirls poisoning: State-sanctioned committee ‘downplaying’ attacks, says report

The state-sanctioned fact-finding committee in Iran tried to downplay the poisoning of schoolgirls in recent months. According to the report by the Iran News Update (INU) on Saturday (June 17), the committee claimed that the poisoning of schoolgirls was merely a result of “mischief”.

Hamidreza Kazemi, a member of parliament and head of the fact-finding committee told the ISNA news agency that numerous meetings had taken place with relevant agencies to probe the incidents of poisonings.

Evidence pointed to deliberate acts of mischief, with individuals using commercially available stink bombs, Kazemi said. Despite initially claiming a conspiracy theory, the head of the committee said a comprehensive probe identified individuals responsible for orchestrating the systematic poisoning of schoolgirls.

The report said that intelligence and security agencies apprehended these culprits,but the regime did not disclose any information about them.

Since late November last year, many schools, mostly for girls, have been affected by sudden poisoning incidents from gases or toxic substances. This mysterious phenomenon has shaken the country for months.

Minister contradicts claims of committee

The INU report said that Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi contradicted the claims of the fact-finding committee. During a recent press conference, Interior Minister Vahidi said that no arrests were made and refuted the claim that no students had been paralysed as a result.

Vahidi highlighted the absence of specific complaints regarding toxic substances, attributing a significant portion of the issue to the creation of a psychological atmosphere among students and their families.

Critics see poisoning an act of revenge against Mahsa Amini protests

Critics of the regime see the poisonings as an act of revenge against the protests triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained by the police for violating Iran's dress code. Female students played a prominent role during the protests, seeking justice and a free and democratic country.

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