Iran poisoning crisis: Teachers also took to the streets
While cases of mass poisoning, mostly in girls’ schools, continue in Iran, teachers, who reacted to the impossibility of preventing the poisonings, protested to the authorities with demonstrations that they organized in some cities of the country.
After Iranian teachers’ unions called for action in front of the Parliament building in the capital Tehran and against national education directorates across the country, teachers held demonstrations in some cities.
According to images posted on social media, in protests held in cities such as Kerec, Tehran, Lahican, Mashhad, Senendaj, Ahvaz, and Shiraz, teachers protested to the authorities over poisoning in schools.
In the images it was seen that the security forces intervened in some cities against the teachers who shouted slogans. In the footage in Tehran, police were seen to have taken heavy security measures around the parliament.
41 ADDITIONAL STUDENTS WALKED TO THE HOSPITAL
On the other hand, according to the news reflected in the country’s media, today the cases of massive poisoning of unknown origin in the country continued. A further 41 students who showed signs of poisoning in the city of Zahidan in Sistan-Baluchistan province were said to have been taken to hospitals.
Since November 30, 2022, there have been cases of mass poisoning in schools where mostly female students are educated in Iran. Students present with symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea, headache, and numbness in the extremities.
Yunus Penahi, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, stated at a press conference on February 26 that they assessed the poisoning of the students as intentional, saying: “It was determined that some people wanted all schools to be closed, especially those for girls. .”
EXECUTION IS ON THE AGENDA
President Ibrahim Reisi appointed Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi, Intelligence Minister İsmail Hatib and Health Minister Bahram Aynullahi on March 1 to investigate the origin of the suspected cases. In a statement he made on March 3, the chief said that “enemies of Iran” were responsible for the poisoning of the students, saying: “Today, hostilities have increased with the progress of the country, the latest example of this it is the attempt to create an environment of insecurity in schools and anxiety in families”.
Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said yesterday that he had instructed authorities to “take the incident seriously and punish the perpetrators with the most severe punishment.”
The head of the judiciary, Gulam Hüseyin Muhsini Ejei, also said that the perpetrators of the poisoning cases would be tried with “execution”.
Mohammad Hasan Asferi, a member of Iran’s Parliamentary Commission for Investigation of Poisoning Cases, said in his statement yesterday that more than 5,000 students, mostly girls, have been poisoned in 230 schools in 25 provinces since November 30. of 2022. (BRITISH AUTOMOBILE CLUB)