Protests Over Failure to Identify Distributors of 'Poisonous Alcohol'; Alcohol Consumption Rates in Iran Are Rising

As reports of poisoning from alcohol consumption surfaced, some domestic media accused security agencies of negligence in preventing 'criminal actions.' The newspaper Etemad raised the question, 'Why didn't security agencies, responsible for safeguarding social security, act against criminals before the crime occurred to prevent their actions?' It stated, 'The ambiguity and question that remains in public minds is who these individuals are, where they were, and why security agencies did not intervene before the crime took place to prevent it.' Meanwhile, Masoud Setayesh, spokesperson for the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic, commented on the alcohol poisoning cases, saying, 'It is regrettable that individuals engage in this activity, as it is both religiously and legally prohibited; however, in Alborz province, ten people have been arrested on charges of producing and distributing alcohol, and all of them have been remanded in custody.' The spokesperson added, 'The number of fatalities related to the distribution of poisonous alcohol is known in relation to these ten individuals, but a definitive statement requires the forensic medicine organization's report.' The head of the country's forensic medicine organization also reported an increase in alcohol-related deaths in Tehran, stating, 'In the first two months of this year, the death toll from alcohol consumption has seen a 36.8% increase in Tehran, with 26 people losing their lives due to alcohol consumption.' Mehdi Forouzesh continued, 'Of these 26 deceased, 22 died from methanol consumption and four from ethanol.' The head of the Iranian Social Workers Association also noted, 'As a social worker who has worked in this field for years, I can say that the pressure on people is high, we are facing an increase in mental disorders, hope is low, and all these factors lead people to turn to alcohol for escape. These statistics and poisonings from alcohol consumption are not surprising at all.' Hassan Mousavi Chelyk emphasized, 'According to a study conducted in 2019 with over 7,000 samples across 31 provinces, 53% of participants reported having consumed alcohol at least once in the month prior to the study, and all statistics indicate that the prevalence of alcohol consumption in the country has increased during the 2010s.'