Iran’s rights chief urges official to swiftly identify elements behind serial poisoning in schools

In a tweet, Kazem Gharibabadi, secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights and the Judiciary chief’s deputy for international affairs, said the organization under his watch is in “constant contact” with relevant institutions to that end.

“The High Council for Human Rights has been seriously pursuing the clarification of the poisoning of students in some schools and is in constant contact with the security and judicial institutions, demanding the immediate identification of the perpetrators,” he said.

“We will not allow these cases to prevent students from benefiting from the right to education and deprive them and their families of peace,” he said.

The serial poisoning began on November 30 in the city of Qom, south of Tehran. Hundreds of students have since been hospitalized in several cities with mild poisoning.

Videos posted on social media have shown school children lying down on the ground having difficulty breathing after inhaling a poisonous gas.

The incidents have created a wave of panic and anger among the families of students.

Social media platforms have also been the scene of a heated debate on who could be behind the intoxication with what has been reported to be N2 gas.