Six Months and One Day in Prison: The Price for Protesting the Serial Poisoning of Students in Iran

On Monday, August 1, the Human Rights Defenders Association announced that the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has sentenced Mohammad Habibi, the spokesperson for the Teachers' Trade Association of Tehran, to six months and one day in prison for protesting the serial poisoning of students. According to reports, the second branch of the Revolutionary Court in Shahriar accused this activist of 'propaganda against the regime' and issued a prison sentence. On July 9 of this year, Mohammad Habibi appeared in the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shahriar with his lawyer and defended himself against the charges. At that time, he wrote in a note on the social media platform 'X' emphasizing the necessity of upholding students' rights: 'I believe that one of the main duties of any teachers' union activist, while supporting livelihood demands, is to defend students' rights and stand firm in this path.' He added, 'It is shameful and regrettable that more than a year after the serial poisoning of students, no investigation has taken place, and only those activists who protested against these poisonings have had cases opened against them and various sentences, including prison sentences, issued.' The poisoning of students in predominantly girls' schools began in the winter of 1401 (2022) and continued for months throughout Iran. Despite the danger to the lives of thousands of students, the source of the incidents was ultimately attributed to a 'foul-smelling bomb.' Instead of introducing the perpetrators of these incidents, Iranian intelligence and judicial authorities have dealt with the protesters against the serial poisonings, detaining several of them, including Mohammad Habibi, Zia Nabavi, and Hasti Amiri.