In the past three months, over 100 girls have been poisoned at girls’ schools and women’s universities across Iran. The first case is said to have occurred in November, where students at a music school fell ill. The same school was later hit by an attack in December. This was followed by several reports of students suddenly falling ill.
– Clips of panic and chaos outside schools are being spread on social media, which has led to people chanting against the regime, says SVT’s reporter Gilda Hamidi-Nia.
The authorities: “It will be investigated”
At first, the authorities dismissed the suspicions as rumours, but later confirmed that they are deliberate attacks. Now the events are to be investigated to clarify who is behind the attacks.
– Activists and regime critics believe that this could be revenge for the protests that erupted in September, where women and young women were at the forefront, says Gilda Hamidi Nia.
Increased number of executions
At least 94 people have been executed by the authorities in Iran in January and February, according to a compilation by human rights organizations Amnesty International and the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center. This indicates a marked increase compared to the same period last year, says Amnesty. According to the organization, several of the death sentences can be linked to the extensive demonstrations that spread like wildfire in the country last year.
Watch SVT’s reporter tell more about the suspected poison attacks in the clip above.