Poisoning Of Schoolgirls In Iran Unforgivable Crime, Says Supreme Leader Khamenei

Iran's supreme leader's remarks come amid outrage over reports that over 1,000 girls have suffered poisoning since November 2022.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Monday the suspected poisoning of schoolgirls was an "unforgivable crime," reported Reuters. Khamenei made the remarks amid outrage over reports that over 1,000 girls have suffered poisoning since November 2022.

"Authorities should seriously pursue the issue of students' poisoning. This is an unforgivable crime... the perpetrators of this crime should be severely punished," Reuters quoted Khamenei as saying.

Several political leaders in the country said the girls could have the target of some religious organisations opposed to education of women.

The attacks had started in the holy Shi'ite Muslim city of Qom in central Iran. As of now, the incidents of attacks have spread to 25 of the 31 provinces in Iran.

Amid a wave of suspected poison attacks, parents took out protests in various cities of the country, including the capital Tehran on Saturday, according to Iranian news agencies and videos shared on social media.

The illness, which is so far unexplained, has affected hundreds of schoolgirls in dozens of schools in recent months. 

The Health Minister of Iran has said the girls have suffered "mild poison" attacks.

In the videos shared on social media, parents can be seen gathering at schools to take their children home and some students are being taken to hospitals by ambulances or buses. According to a video verified by Reuters, a gathering of parents outside an Education Ministry building in western Tehran on Saturday to protest over the illnesses turned into an anti-government demonstration. 

"Basij, Guards, you are our Daesh," protesters chanted, likening the Revolutionary Guards and other security forces to the Islamic State group. Similar protests were held in two other areas in Tehran and other cities, including Isfahan and Rasht, according to unverified videos, Reuters reported.

The protests come at a critical time for Iran's clerical rulers, who have faced months of anti-government protests sparked by the death of a young Iranian woman in the custody of the morality police who enforce strict dress codes.

The United Nations human rights office in Geneva called on Friday for a transparent investigation into the suspected attacks and countries, including Germany and the United States, have voiced concern. Iran rejected what it views as foreign meddling and "hasty reactions" and said on Friday it was investigating the causes of the incidents, as reported by Reuters. 

"It is one of the immediate priorities of Iran's government to pursue this issue as quickly as possible and provide documented information to resolve the families' concerns and to hold accountable the perpetrators and the causes," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani told state media.

The schoolgirls, who have been affected by poison attacks, were active in the anti-government protests that started in September. They had removed their mandatory headscarves in classrooms and shredded pictures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.