Iran’s Government Investigates Poisoning of Schoolgirls

Iran’s Government Investigates Poisoning of Schoolgirls

Iran's president recently ordered an investigation¹ into a series of sicknesses from poisonous air at a number of girls' schools in the country. Some officials suspect the incidents are attacks targeting women's education.

Hundreds of girls at about 30 schools have been sickened since November, with some needing hospital care.

Children have reported head pain, fast heartbeats, feeling tired or weakened. Some described sensing a smell of the fruit tangerine², chlorine and chemicals used in cleaning.

President calls for investigation

On Wednesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told a Cabinet meeting that the Interior Ministry³ should investigate the incidents. He said the country's health and intelligence ministries⁴ should help in the investigation.

It was the first time Raisi had spoken publicly about the sicknesses.

A day earlier, a top security official had dismissed the reports of possible poisonings. The Interior Ministry official, Majid Mirahmadi, called the reports "psychological warring" by enemies in media and elsewhere. "Their goal was to force schools to close," he said.

Attacks began in Qom

The first cases of sickness happened late last year in Qom, a city some 125 kilometers southwest of Iran's capital, Tehran. The city is known for its conservative religious history. Students at Qom's Noor Yazdanshahr Conservatory⁵ got sick in November. They recovered before becoming sick again the next month.

Then other cases, at other girls' schools, followed.

At first, officials did not connect the cases at different schools. Some questioned if the natural gas systems that heated schools was to blame. But the sicknesses were happening only at schools for females. Since then, officials say at least one boys' school has been targeted as well.

Ali Reza Monadi is a national parliament member who sits on its education committee. He described the poisonings as "intentional⁶."

"We have to try to find roots," of the incidents, he told Iran's state media agency, IRNA.

Shargh, a reformist news website based in Tehran, reported that many parents have withdrawn⁷ their students from school. On Tuesday, another suspected attack was reported at a girls' school in Pardis on the eastern outskirts⁸ of Tehran.

The poisonings come as getting confirmable information out of Iran remains⁹ difficult. The government is strongly punishing any public show of dissent¹⁰ following months of huge civil rights demonstrations¹¹ in the country. Security forces have arrested at least 95 press workers since protests broke out in September of last year, reports the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

Human rights activists¹² in Iran say at least 530 people have been killed in the increased security measures. They say Iranian security forces have arrested about 19,700 people as well.

Attacks on women have happened in the past in Iran, most recently with a wave of acid attacks in 2014 around Isfahan. At the time, the attacks were believed to have been carried out by religious extremists targeting women for the clothing they wore. But, even in the disorder¹³ surrounding the Islamic Revolution, no one was known to target schoolgirls for attending classes.

Hadi Ghaemi is the executive director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran.

"There is a very fundamentalist thinking surfacing in society," Ghaemi said. "We have no idea how widespread this group is but the fact they have been able to carry it out with such impunity¹⁴ is so troubling."

Words in This Story

chlorine – n. a strong-smelling gas that is used to clean water and to make cleaning products

intentional – adj. done purposely; intended

fundamentalist – adj. promoting strict adherence¹⁵ to any set of basic ideas or principles

impunity – n. exemption from punishment

1 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

2 tangerine   

n.橘子，橘子树

参考例句：

• Hand me of a the ripest tangerine please.请递给我一个最熟的橘子。
• These tangerine are transported here by air from Fuzhou.这些福橘是刚刚从福州空运过来的。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

5 conservatory   

n.温室，音乐学院；adj.保存性的，有保存力的

参考例句：

• At the conservatory,he learned how to score a musical composition.在音乐学校里，他学会了怎样谱曲。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants.这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

6 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。

7 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

8 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

11 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

12 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

14 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

15 adherence   

n.信奉，依附，坚持，固着

参考例句：

• He was well known for his adherence to the rules.他因遵循这些规定而出名。
• The teacher demanded adherence to the rules.老师要求学生们遵守纪律。