Erfaneh Honar

During the serial poisoning of (mostly) girls' schools in Iran, many students in several schools nationwide were "suspiciously" poisoned by chemical gas. The chain of events began on November 30, 2022, in a school for girls in Qom during the nationwide Women, Life, Freedom uprising. The Islamic Republic officials initially tried to deny the truth and blamed the "enemy groups" and "anti-revolutionaries" and in some cases "public hysteria" and students "faking illness" for the events; But soon after, Younse Panahi, the Ministry of Health, announced that the poisonings were intentional. In late December, the leader Ali Khamenei also talked about the role of some "individuals or groups" in these events. After his speech, the Ministry of Intelligence promised to investigate and the Minister of Interior Ahmad Vahidi, and his security and law enforcement deputy announced the arrests of the "culprits" in the poisoning of students in five provinces. After that, the Islamic Republic's propaganda machine turned the blame on the students and protesters. Many believe that the serial poisonings were a coordinated and planned campaign in reaction to the peaceful participation of students in the Women, Life, Freedom uprising and the women's collective fight against mandatory hijab and the oppressive policies of the Islamic Republic against them. <symbol-timeline></symbol-timeline>

• <coverage-outsourcing id='50579'> <reference source='https://www.iranintl.com/202304160999'> According to Iran International, Erfaneh Honar, Setayesh Darougheh, Ali Reza Bagheri, and Setayesh Amiri and her father Ebrahim Amiri were arrested in connection to the chemical attack on schools in Larestan in Fars province. They have been accused of poisoning the students despite the fact that Setayesh Darougheh was with the students at Fatemeh Zahra School during the chemical attack and witnesses have testified to that. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='50580'> <reference source='https://bit.ly/40vlOpj'> IRGC's Fars News reported that the Intelligence agents in Larestan with the help of IRGC Intelligence have identified and arrested five individuals in connection to the poisoning of students in schools in Fars province. Fars News reported that two men, ages 50 and 22, and three women were arrested. Raham Bakhsh Habibi, the chief of police of Fars province told Fars News that the three female suspects, in addition to poisoning the students, have recorded videos and sent them to "enemy channels" like Iran International. According to the report, during the investigations, the women told the investigators that the reason for their activities was to create an atmosphere of negativity toward the Islamic Republic and unsafety in schools." </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='50581'> <reference source='https://bit.ly/3L0M5Xc'> Fars provincial TV aired forced confessions of Setayesh Darougheh, Erfaneh Honar, Ali Reza Bagheri, Setayesh Amiri, and her father Ebrahim Amiri, and claimed that they were responsible for poisoning students in Larestan schools. In the video, a man that seems to be Ebrahim Amiri was accused as a hospital employee to have colluded with his daughter (Setayesh Amiri) and her classmates to use poisonous material in seven schools in the city. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='50582'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2023/hranews/a-40605/'> HRANA reported that Setayesh Darougheh, Setayesh Amiri, and Erfaneh Honar are being held in the quarantine ward of Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz awaiting a decision. They have been denied family visits and phone calls. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='50583'> <reference source='https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde13/6696/2023/en/'> Amnesty International released a statement demanding a full investigation of the chemical attacks on mostly female schools in Iran. The statement addresses Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the country's attorney general, and mentions that thousands of students, mostly girls, were hospitalized and their lives are in danger. The report refers to the data from a doctor in Iran which says: > The Ministry of Health has issued a protocol for medical centers in the country and medical staff to attribute symptoms of chemical gas attack to stress. Amnesty also mentions the arrest of a reporter and the summons of several other journalists for covering the topic and says the protests by the concerned parents and students and teachers, and others have been suppressed as usual. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>