The poisoning of girls in Iran’s schools, Khamenei: Unforgivable crime, the perpetrators will be punished

The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called the wave of suspected poisonings of schoolgirls in recent months an “unforgivable crime”.

“If there are people involved in this matter, and of course there are… the perpetrators should be given the most severe punishments,” he warned.

We recall that more than 1,000 girls in dozens of schools have been affected by unexplained illnesses since November in the country.

Incidents were reported in at least 15 cities and towns on Sunday alone.

Authorities have released little information about the investigations and have not announced any arrests, but they have accused Iran’s “enemies” of using the suspected poisons to undermine the clerical establishment.

Some Iranians believe that girls’ schools are being targeted by hardliners to stop them from getting an education.

Others suggest the authorities may be punishing the girls for their leading role in the nationwide anti-government protests that erupted in September.