Iranian demonstrators took to the streets again, on Tuesday, due to recent cases of schoolgirl poisoning, The New York Times reported.
The American newspaper reported that the case has reignited public anger in Iran, as many have once again called for an end to the rule of the Islamic Republic.
Protests erupted in more than a dozen cities across Iran on Tuesday over what some fear may be the poisoning of thousands of schoolgirls and the government’s inability to contain the worsening crisis, according to videos posted on social media.
Some of them carried banners reading “Protect the safety of schools” and “Death to the child killing regime”, as shown in videos.
These were the first protests witnessed in several Iranian cities simultaneously, two months after the Iranian authorities suppressed the popular protests that began last September following the death of the young woman, Mahsa Amini, days after she was detained by the morality police for violating the Islamic dress code in the country.
The large uprisings led by women and girls that rocked the country at the end of last year had largely died down after a brutal government crackdown that included mass arrests and executions of four protesters.
On Tuesday, hundreds of parents, teachers and ordinary citizens gathered outside schools and local offices of the Ministry of Education in Tehran, Shiraz, Mashhad, Rasht, Sanandaj and other cities.
Videos showed that students at several universities also staged symbolic protests in which they lay on the ground and pretended to suffocate.
Video clips in several cities showed security forces firing tear gas against peacefully protesting teachers and parents and trying to arrest them.
On the other hand, the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, demanded, on Monday, the imposition of “severe penalties” against people whose involvement in the series of gas poisoning incidents will be proven.
“The perpetrators of this crime must be severely punished,” Khamenei said in his first comment on the case, and “there will be no amnesty for these people.”
On Tuesday, Iran announced the first arrests in the framework of the investigation into a series of poisoning cases that affected hundreds of schoolgirls and sparked outrage in the country.
These arrests come as parents of the schoolgirls are calling on the authorities to take action, more than three months after the first cases of poisoning were recorded.
In addition, 20 prominent Iranian lawyers inside and outside the country called on the United Nations to investigate mysterious cases of poisoning of schoolgirls.
They said in a letter that the government lacked competence and willingness to investigate, and noted its track record of violence against women and girls.
And Monday, the White House said that “the United Nations has the right to open an investigation if it turns out that the poisoning of the Iranian students is related to their participation in peaceful protests.”
The White House has called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the poisoning. White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre described the poisonings as “shameful”.
Different Accounts
The reasons behind the poisoning of schoolgirls are still mysterious, at a time when different stories are spread.
Some spoke of intentional nitrogen gas poisoning, while others blamed unidentified enemies, opposition groups and foreign media.
Some rights activists say that radical Islamic groups opposed to girls’ education may be responsible for poisoning female students, which is unusual because girls’ education is not contested or attacked in Iran.
Many others blame the government for the events and say it is part of a systematic campaign against teenagers for taking part in the protests.
The first case was reported in the city of Qom, after a number of schoolgirls contracted illnesses last November. Since then, cases have spread to dozens of schools in 8 different Iranian provinces, according to local media.
Parents interviewed by The New York Times in Iran said they were afraid to send their children to school and did not trust the government’s investigation.
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“I will not send my son to school as long as this situation continues – I will not risk anything happening to him for the sake of education,” said Bonneh, a 47-year-old mother in Varamin who, like others interviewed, insisted that her surname not be used for fear of reprisals.
For her part, Shaghaigh, a 41-year-old mother and chemical engineer, rejected her daughter’s school principal’s assurances that the children were safe.
“My daughter and all her classmates collectively refused to go to school and asked for online lessons,” she said in an interview.
“Our priority is the health of our children, not education at the moment,” she added.
Also in this context, Fariba, a 45-year-old mother in Karaj, said that only a few female students attended her daughter’s secondary school classes.
And she continued, “My husband and I have decided not to send our daughter to school until her safety and health are guaranteed.”
