Iran detains journalist reporting on school poison attacks

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran detained a journalist on Sunday for reporting on the poison attacks targeting schools in the central city of Qom, the same place where the incidents began in early December. 

The poison attacks took a sharp turn on Saturday and Sunday when dozens of schools came under toxic gas attacks.

The cases of poisoning have caused shock across the country as officials have failed to rein in the attacks over the past three months. In recent days, hundreds of parents have taken to the streets and chanted against authorities for not being able to identify the perpetrators. 

Thousands of schoolgirls have been affected, leaving parents conflicted with whether they should send their children to school or not. 

Ali Pourtabatabei was detained on Sunday morning in the city of Qom, where the attacks on schools originated around three months ago.  “My brother was detained this morning but we don’t know until now what the charges are,” Fazela Tabatabei, the journalist’s sister, told Sharghdaily, adding that the family does not know which intelligence or security agency has detained him.

Pourtabatabei worked in the past for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Tasnimnews and his arrest appears to indicate that the authorities are under increasing pressure and want to intimidate journalists from investigating the issue.

Iran has detained dozens of journalists in recent months for covering the nationwide protest movement following the killing of Zhina (Mahsa Amini) at the hands of Tehran’s morality police.

Pourtabatabei’s twitter account was suspended immediately after his arrest.  Qomnews, where Pourtabatabei worked, has reported regularly about the attack on schools. 

On Saturday, when dozens of schools were attacked across Iran, the outlet reported that 44 students had been admitted to hospital and quoted a source stating that there were 30 reported attacks in the city of Qom alone within seven hours.

“Some of the parents told Qomnews that the school refrained from contacting the emergency services even though the pupils have complained about their discomfort,” the outlet reported.

In Khuzestan province alone, 700 pupils were poisoned on Sunday, according to Iran’s reformist media. In the past three months, according to Etemad newspaper, at least 2,000 schoolgirls have been poisoned with at least 91 schools attacked. Activists say the number is much higher.

The deputy interior minister Majid Mir Ahmadi, claimed that those behind the attacks are the ones who proclaimed the “Women, Life, Freedom” slogan.

“Their main objective is to create psychological insecurity especially for the schoolgirls, to close the schools and then accusing the [Iranian] state in order to light the flames of the riots once again,” Ahmadi told the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Farsnews. “Of course we need to note that the overwhelming majority of the pupils suffer side effects because of the stress and anxiety and that is why the issue has become far greater than it is.”

The government spokesperson, Bahadori Jahromi, also accused those involved in the protests as being behind the attacks on schools, without offering any proof.

The gas attacks cause a feeling of nausea, burning sensations, and shortage of breath. Thousands of families have been affected and there is a sense of panic spreading across the country.

Iranian telegram channels published a video of people chanting against the regime in several locations on Sunday night including in Tehran.

Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported on Monday morning that the latest school to be attacked was Nisa School in the Kurdish city of Mariwan. “Some of the students have been poisoned and have been taken to the Fajr hospital,” the watchdog reported.