Wave of chemical attacks: Intelligence Ministry report denies poisoning of schoolgirls
Iranian schoolgirls have been experiencing a wave of chemical attacks for over five months now, and the regime has done little to address the issue. In this episode of the NCRI Women’s Committee podcast, the topic of discussion was the wave chemical attacks on Iranian schoolgirls and the lack of action from the authorities.
The attacks began after the Nowruz holidays, despite warnings from the supreme leader Ali Khamenei to arrest and punish the perpetrators of such crimes. The attacks have occurred in over 700 schools in some 160 cities across the country, and the latest figures suggest that between 5,000 to 13,000 students have been affected.
The Iranian regime has denied any poisoning and instead blamed the discomfort felt by students on anxiety and stress. State-backed media downplayed the issue and shifted the blame to the students themselves, claiming that the discomfort is due to stress, asthma, lung or heart problems, and the irritation of smelly substances. As for the attacks, they blame the enemies and foreign intelligence services.
The continued wave of chemical attacks on girls’ high schools and the regime’s inaction and cover-up attempts is a frightening situation for parents who feel helpless and concerned for their children’s safety.
The Iranian regime has a history of denying human rights abuses and blaming external forces for their problems. They are trying to cover up their own role in organizing the attacks. Iran is a tightly controlled country using the most advanced technology to do surveillance, but in this case, as many media and MPs have pointed out, their CCTV cameras do not record the assailants who attack the schools with poison gas.
Most concerning is that the Iranian regime has arrested journalists, parents, and protesters who were trying to bring attention to the issue or shed light on it. The Iranian regime officials were quick to dismiss the reports of chemical attacks as rumors and disinformation before carrying out any investigations. After five months of so-called investigations, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry issued a statement, declaring that no toxic substances had been distributed in schools. They made conflicting statements adding to the confusion. But the prevailing trend was to dismiss the poisoning, calling it “discomfort,” blaming the students for mischief-making to escape classes.
Evidence suggests that IRGC Intelligence takes away the test results from hospitals to their laboratories and does not report back to the hospital or to the parents. So, everyone has been kept in the dark.
Students have been reporting disturbing accounts. In one of the recent attacks on a school in Kermanshah, students reported seeing a drone dropping a candle package into their schoolyard. In numerous cases in Tehran and other cities, students said the school’s principal and staff did not let them out of the building. They closed the doors and did not let the students call their parents after the chemical attacks. In several instances, school officials suspiciously collected the students’ mobile phones and water bottles before the chemical attack took place.
The international community must put pressure on the Iranian regime to stop these attacks through diplomatic channels, economic sanctions, and public statements. It’s also essential to support Iranian human rights organizations and activists who are working to expose the Iranian regime’s abuses.
The Iranian people have been doing what they can to protect their children. Some parents have taken turns guarding the school from outside and inside the yard to protect their children from intruders who wanted to attack them with poisonous gas. But the most effective way is to protest. Just as their protests compelled the regime to react to serial poisoning of schools. Resistance is the only language this regime understands.
The ongoing wave of chemical attacks on Iranian schoolgirls are just one of the many human rights abuses committed by the Iranian regime. The international community must take a stand and demand change. The Iranian regime has been able to get away with these abuses for too long.
