Months have passed since a series of chemical attacks targeted schools in Iran. In a shocking move, the regime’s fact-finding committee has claimed that the poisoning of students was merely a result of “mischief,” drawing widespread concern both domestically and internationally.
The chemical attacks on girls’ schools have ignited significant apprehension throughout the country and beyond. In response to protests from the families of affected students, public opinion, and international organizations like Amnesty International, the regime established a so-called “fact-finding committee” to investigate these heinous incidents.
It was evident from the beginning that this committee, operating under the regime’s rule, would yield predetermined outcomes. While the evidence clearly showed that the regime’s intelligence and security were behind the attacks, it became increasingly clear that the fact-finding committee would serve as a shield for deflecting blame.
Hamidreza Kazemi, a member of the regime’s parliament and the head of the fact-finding committee, stated in an interview with the ISNA news agency that numerous meetings had taken place with relevant agencies to investigate the incidents of chemical poisoning.
The final findings from these agencies were relayed to both the parliament and the regime’s president. According to Kazemi, evidence pointed to deliberate acts of mischief, with individuals using commercially available stink bombs. Others aimed to disrupt school operations.
These statements imply that the investigations conducted by the fact-finding committee shed light on the intentions behind the chemical attacks. Some individuals intentionally engaged in malicious activities using readily available stink bombs, while others sought to create disruptions by targeting educational institutions. The committee’s findings indicate the incidents have a multi-faceted nature, potentially involving different motives and actions.
Despite initially claiming a “conspiracy theory,” Kazemi further revealed that a comprehensive investigation had identified individuals responsible for orchestrating the systematic poisoning of female students. Intelligence and security agencies reportedly apprehended these culprits. However, the regime has not disclosed any information about these individuals through the media, despite previously announcing the arrests of alleged perpetrators.
The chemical poisoning of female students, often referred to as chemical attacks, started in November 2022, at the Isfahan University of Technology and reached its peak in the spring of 2023. At least 13,000 students were reported to have fallen victim to these attacks, requiring medical attention at various centers.
During a recent press conference, the regime’s Interior Minister, Ahmad Vahidi, made a puzzling statement. Contradicting the claims of the fact-finding committee, he stated that no arrests had been made regarding the poisonings and refuted the claim that no students had been paralyzed as a result.
Vahidi highlighted the absence of specific complaints regarding toxic substances, attributing a significant portion of the issue to the creation of a psychological atmosphere among students and their families. His statements aimed to downplay the severity of the poisonings and cast doubt on the allegations, suggesting that psychological impact contributed to the overall perception of the incidents.
According to critics of the regime, the suspected poisonings that occurred recently might be seen as an act of “revenge” in response to the widespread unrest triggered by the tragic death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Amini was detained by the morality police on the grounds of violating Iran’s strict dress code.
During the subsequent protests that shook the regime, female students played a prominent role, bravely standing against the regime’s repression and ongoing human rights abuses, seeking justice and a free and democratic country.
It should be noted that this was not the first time that the regime acted brutally against the country’s women. The most recent example was a wave of acid attacks in the city of Isfahan in 2014.
