1 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda 2 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:10,160 Speaker 1: Bunjelung Calcotin woman from gadigh Country. The Daily oz acknowledges 3 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:12,399 Speaker 1: that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the 4 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torrestrate 5 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: island and nations. We pay our respects to the first 6 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 1: peoples of these countries, both past and present. 7 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 2: Good morning and welcome to the Daily os It's Thursday, 8 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 2: the sixteenth of March. 9 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:32,480 Speaker 3: I'm zara, I'm sam. 10 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 2: Estimated over one thousand schoolgirls in Iran have been allegedly 11 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:38,599 Speaker 2: poisoned since last November. 12 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 4: For months now, Iranian schoolgirls and their families have been 13 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 4: speaking out about incidents of suspected poisoning. With no one 14 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 4: so far held to account and parents no closer to answers, 15 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 4: many continue to risk their lives to challenge Iran's authorities. 16 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 2: State run Iranian media our saying officials have now made 17 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,959 Speaker 2: arrests related to the alleged poisoning. So what exactly has 18 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 2: happened and who's to blame? We're going to let you 19 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 2: know in the deep dive, but fair Sam the headlines. 20 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 3: Prime Minister Anthony Albanesi has visited Fiji to discuss security 21 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 3: ties with the island nation following the recent Orcus announcement 22 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:22,960 Speaker 3: in the US. This week, Albanzi met with his Fijian 23 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 3: counterparts cit I Veni Rabuka to discuss stability and resilience 24 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,680 Speaker 3: in the Pacific region, with Albernizi saying he was focused 25 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 3: on understanding Rabuka's priorities and vision for the future of Fiji. 26 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 2: NRL players who suffer a concussion will now be forced 27 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 2: to undergo an eleven day ban from play under new 28 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 2: rules approved by the Australian Rugby League Commission on Wednesday. 29 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 2: Clubs will be able to apply for exemptions to the 30 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 2: new rule if the player doesn't have a history of 31 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 2: multiple concussions and isn't showing symptoms of a head injury. 32 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 2: This rule comes into effect today. 33 00:01:58,080 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 3: A quick warning before we start this story at the 34 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 3: US's violence. Over forty one percent of Australian adults have 35 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 3: experienced physical or sexual violence since turning fifteen. That's according 36 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 3: to new estimates from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The 37 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 3: estimate was taken from a personal safety survey undertaken by 38 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,919 Speaker 3: almost twelve thousand Australians across the country, with a higher 39 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 3: proportion of male respondents subject to violence at forty three 40 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 3: percent than females at thirty nine percent. And the good news. 41 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 2: A check free diver has plunged more than fifty meters 42 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 2: below the ice surface in Switzerland this week, breaking the 43 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,640 Speaker 2: record for a vertical plunge with a single breath without 44 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 2: a wetsuit. David Venkel plunged over fifty two meters through 45 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 2: a hole carved in the ice and retrieved a sticker 46 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 2: from the depths of the water to prove the achievement. 47 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 2: The plunge took him almost two minutes and was done 48 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 2: in temperatures just above freezing point. That is my worst nightmare, 49 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,640 Speaker 2: Hi jitimently there is nothing I want to do less 50 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 2: than that. So a state run Iranian news agency is 51 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:08,240 Speaker 2: reporting that over one hundred people have been arrested and 52 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 2: that is in relation to the suspected poisoning of schoolgirls 53 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 2: in the country. It's a really shocking story to watch 54 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 2: unfold from Afar, and it comes after months of protest 55 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 2: over the treatment of women in Iran. 56 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:24,359 Speaker 3: Let's start at the beginning of this story, schoolgirls being 57 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 3: poisoned that sounds truly horrendous. Tell me what's been happening here. 58 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 2: So the first case of alleged poisoning was reported back 59 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 2: in November. It was in Iran's religious center, which is 60 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 2: OM and that was when eighteen students from a school 61 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 2: were taken to hospital. Things escalated fairly quickly from there. 62 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 2: By the end of February, twenty six schools had been 63 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 2: impacted by alleged poisoning attacks. It's now thought that over 64 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 2: one thousand girls have been allegedly poisoned with chemical compounds 65 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 2: across the whole of Iran. And what we've heard of 66 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:00,040 Speaker 2: these attacks so far is that students complained of a 67 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 2: strange smell and then became ill. There'll be no deaths 68 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 2: from these attacks reported so far, but what we have 69 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 2: heard is that people have developed respiratory problems, things like nausea, 70 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 2: dizziness and fatigue. We've heard from a doctor who spoke 71 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:17,160 Speaker 2: anonymously to The Guardian who said that the most probable 72 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:21,679 Speaker 2: cause of poisoning was what's called a weak organophosphate agent. 73 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 2: Symptoms of this type of poisoning can include severe sweating, 74 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:30,720 Speaker 2: excess salivation, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and weakness, which may 75 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 2: progress into paralysis. Iran's deputy health minister has told reporters 76 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 2: that the chemical compounds they suspect have been used to 77 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 2: poison these girls aren't military grade and are publicly available. 78 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 3: And do we have a sense of why this is 79 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 3: all happening. 80 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 2: I mean, that's the big question, and I think it's 81 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 2: really hard to answer. It's hard to be certain. There's 82 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 2: no real evidence that's available for people and reporters to survey, 83 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:57,599 Speaker 2: and the absence of a free press in Iran means 84 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:00,840 Speaker 2: that we aren't always getting a whole lot of accurate 85 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 2: information from there. Iran's deputy health minister has actually claimed 86 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:09,279 Speaker 2: the girls were deliberately poisoned, but later said his statement 87 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 2: had been misunderstood. There certainly does seem to be a 88 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:16,640 Speaker 2: lot of commentary more broadly, both in Iran and across 89 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,600 Speaker 2: the world, about these attacks actually being a direct response 90 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 2: to the role of women and girls in those recent 91 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 2: protests I was just speaking about in Iran. An Iranian 92 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:30,720 Speaker 2: human rights activists based in New York. Masielina Jad spoke 93 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:33,599 Speaker 2: to the Guardian and called on the UN to investigate 94 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:39,359 Speaker 2: what she's calling biological terrorism against Iranian girls. She said, 95 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 2: in my opinion, this chemical attack is revenged by the 96 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 2: Islamic Republic against the brave women who rejected the mandatory 97 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,560 Speaker 2: hijab and shook the Berlin wool of Kimani's regime. 98 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:51,600 Speaker 3: Okay, I think this is a good time to go 99 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 3: back and talk about what actually happened in those protests. 100 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:58,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think that over the period of a 101 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:01,920 Speaker 2: couple of months, reported a lot about it on the feed, 102 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 2: We've spoken about it on this podcast. But I think 103 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 2: that it is good to go back to the origins 104 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 2: of why these protests happened and what's happened since so 105 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 2: the protests against Iran's conservative Islamic dictatorship they began following 106 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,159 Speaker 2: the death of Massa Zena Amini. And I just want 107 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 2: to clarify because I had to ask questions when we 108 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:25,039 Speaker 2: first started this story about why it is that we 109 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:28,480 Speaker 2: say Mussa Zena Amini. And that's because Mussa was Kurdish, 110 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:32,479 Speaker 2: an ethnic group in Central Asia, and Zena Orgina was 111 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 2: her Kurdish name. It was used by her family, but 112 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 2: Mussa was her official Iranian name, as some Kurdish names 113 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 2: are actually banned in Iran, so Massa Zena Amini was 114 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 2: violently arrested by the country's Morality Police, and that was 115 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 2: because she allegedly violated clothing laws, including a requirement for 116 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 2: women to cover their hair with a hijab. The Morality 117 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 2: Police enforced strict cultural laws, things like that law that 118 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 2: requires women to wear a hijab. Police have claimed that 119 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,440 Speaker 2: Amini died of a heart attack, but witnesses have said 120 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 2: they saw police beat her. There has been a lot 121 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:12,480 Speaker 2: of outrage expressed in many ways following the death of 122 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 2: this young woman, and that has materialized in months of protests. 123 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 2: According to the UN, protests actually took place in all 124 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,560 Speaker 2: thirty one of Iran's provinces and over one hundred and 125 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:27,760 Speaker 2: fifty cities and one hundred and forty universities all up. 126 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 2: Its believed over three hundred people were killed in those protests, 127 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 2: including at least forty children. Last month, the BBC reported 128 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 2: that a human rights agency believed almost twenty thousand protesters 129 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 2: had been arrested and one hundred and seven of those 130 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 2: were at risk of the death penalty. I'll also add 131 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 2: here that both UNI students and schoolgirls were involved in 132 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 2: those protests. We understand that a lot of these protests 133 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:56,120 Speaker 2: have actually been led by young women advocating for other 134 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 2: young women, and some high school aged girls have also 135 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 2: lost their lives. Over time, those protests slowly quietened down 136 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 2: in Iran, but they've picked back up again in recent weeks, 137 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 2: and that is in response to these allegations of poisoning 138 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:11,720 Speaker 2: that we're talking about today. 139 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 3: When you said that the deputy Health Minister said that 140 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 3: these girls were deliberately poisoned, even if he did go 141 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 3: back on that statement, was that the only thing we've 142 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:21,640 Speaker 3: heard from the Uranian government, Well. 143 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 2: The messages from Iranian authorities have been what i'd call 144 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:30,680 Speaker 2: somewhat contradictory. Iran Supreme Leader has publicly denounced the attacks 145 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 2: and has called them a major and unforgivable crime. He's 146 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 2: also promised an investigation and swift punishment for those responsible. 147 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 2: But on the other hand, officials from the Education department 148 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:45,000 Speaker 2: have said that this is all a case of what's 149 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:48,320 Speaker 2: called public mass hysteria and that ninety five percent of 150 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 2: girls going to hospital have no health issues. So that 151 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:56,680 Speaker 2: is two very different messages coming from government and government departments. 152 00:08:57,200 --> 00:08:59,719 Speaker 2: But once again, it's very difficult to know what is 153 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 2: true here. We've also heard reports of journalists and critics 154 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:06,640 Speaker 2: of the government being called in for questioning or arrested 155 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 2: by officials for reporting on these alleged poisonings. 156 00:09:10,679 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 3: Okay, so there's clearly some mixed messaging there, but the 157 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 3: leader of Iran has said there will be punishment for 158 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 3: those involved. What action has he taken? 159 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 2: Well? The IRNA, which is Iran's state run news agency, 160 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 2: is reporting that more than one hundred people have been 161 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 2: identified and arrested in relation to these alleged poisonings. The 162 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:34,440 Speaker 2: report quoted a statement from Iran's Interior Ministry which said 163 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 2: that those arrested had hostile motives and we're trying to 164 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:41,200 Speaker 2: create fear and horror among people, to shut down schools, 165 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 2: and to create pessimism towards the Islamic establishment. The statement 166 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 2: said those involved were acting out of mischief by using 167 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:51,479 Speaker 2: smelly but harmless substances. 168 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:53,440 Speaker 3: I'd love to get the sense from you of what 169 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:56,000 Speaker 3: the reaction has been to this Outside of Iran. 170 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 2: Both the US and UN have called for a full 171 00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:02,960 Speaker 2: inv instigation into the alleged poisonings to see what is 172 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:06,400 Speaker 2: happening and what has happened. Authorities in Iran say that 173 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:09,480 Speaker 2: they're in the process of doing that already. There is 174 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 2: also an independent fact finding mission in Iran underway by 175 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:16,720 Speaker 2: the UN's Human Rights Council. This was actually organized towards 176 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:19,960 Speaker 2: the end of last year in response to concerns about 177 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 2: the human rights of protesters in Iran. The investigation will 178 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:28,439 Speaker 2: seek to establish evidence of alleged human rights violations. When 179 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 2: questioned about the allegations of poisoning, the White House Press 180 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:35,120 Speaker 2: Secretary said, it's something that the UN investigation could look 181 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:38,400 Speaker 2: at as well, and as part of that ongoing investigation. 182 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 2: But and I feel like I'm at great pains to 183 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:44,120 Speaker 2: try and make this clear. When it comes to poisonous gas, 184 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 2: evidence is really difficult to find. The World Health Organization 185 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 2: was tracking a similar phenomenon in Afghanistan, with reports of 186 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:56,280 Speaker 2: schoolgirls being poisoned between the years about two thousand and 187 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 2: nine and twenty twelve. They found there that there was 188 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:03,400 Speaker 2: no evidence of mass poisoning, but rather that doctors treating 189 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:06,079 Speaker 2: the cases thought it was a likely case of something 190 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 2: that I hadn't actually heard of. But it's called mass 191 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:13,079 Speaker 2: psychogenic illness MPI, which is a form of mass hysteria. 192 00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 2: All of that to say. It's really really hard to 193 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 2: know exactly what is going on here, but a wave 194 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:23,280 Speaker 2: of illness and sickness among the nation's schoolgirls seems like 195 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:27,760 Speaker 2: a really cruel continuation of what's been an incredibly difficult 196 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:29,600 Speaker 2: year for women and girls in Iran. 197 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 3: Thank you for joining us on the Daily OS this morning. 198 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 3: If you learned something from today's episode, don't forget to 199 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:45,439 Speaker 3: hit subscribe so there's a TDA episode waiting for you 200 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:48,520 Speaker 3: every morning. We'll be back again tomorrow. Until then, have 201 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:49,120 Speaker 3: a great day.