DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran has arrested several people suspected of being involved in a spate of school poisonings and accused some of them of being linked to “foreign-based opposition media” and to recent demonstrations, according to a press release from the authorities relayed on Tuesday by the official press.
Since last November, more than a thousand schoolgirls have fallen ill as a result of poisoning, according to data from the official press and the authorities. Politicians have said they see this as the actions of religious groups opposed to the education of young girls.
“Three members of a team of four arrested have a history of recent uprisings and their connection to foreign-based opposition media has been established,” the interior ministry said in a statement released by the official press.
Authorities have arrested several people in six provinces of the country for their involvement in the wave of poisonings, it is also indicated.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Iranian Revolution, said on Monday that poisoning schoolgirls was an “unforgivable” crime punishable by death.
Protesters gathered across the country to express their anger over the poisonings.
(Dubai office; French version Jean Terzian, editing by Kate Entringer)
©2023 Thomson Reuters, all rights reserved. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Reuters” and the Reuters Logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.