Iranian artists call for probe into poisoning of schoolgirls - report

Hundreds of Iranian creative artists have signed a petition calling for a wave of poisonings among female school pupils and students over the past three months to be investigated, the Shargh daily newspaper reported on Sunday.

Some 500 prominent artists had signed the call, the newspaper said. In response to the poisonings, which have resulted in girls being hospitalized, parents held demonstrations and called for an explanation amid rising anger at the country's leadership.

"The deliberate mass attacks on girls' schools in the country are a new catastrophe that aims at nothing more than fomenting terror and increasing the costs for girls' natural rights in society," the petition said, according to media reports.

"We condemn this tragedy and call for the perpetrators to be arrested and punished," it added.

Fresh cases of poisoning were reported on Sunday, following on from similar reports over recent days. A female students' residence in Urmia in the north-west and a primary school in the northern city of Tabriz were among the facilities affected.

The country's government and clerical leadership have come under pressure from mass protests that erupted in September following the death in custody of a young woman detained by the moral police for incorrectly wearing her hijab.

The first cases of poisoning were reported in late November, when the protests were in full swing. Those affected report symptoms including dizziness, nausea and difficulty breathing.