Doubts and questions about the “suspicious” deaths of four students in Ahvaz

The Ministry of Health has said that the announcement of the “suspicious” deaths of four students in just two weeks is contingent on the “non-confidentiality” of the information about them. However, the president of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences says that two students died of natural causes.

Since the beginning of December 2019, the bodies of four female and male students were found at two universities in Ahvaz, Shahid Chamran and Jundishapur. These deaths have been declared suspicious, and three weeks after the first death, the authorities have still not provided clear information about the cause of death. This issue seems to be very doubtful in the eyes of social media users.

Accident, suicide or...?

In his latest statement, Farhad Abolnejadian, president of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, said on the evening of December 16 that a male pharmacy student was transferred to Golestan Hospital in Ahvaz in a classroom without respiratory or cardiac symptoms, and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) was unsuccessful, and the student died.

Abolnejadian told the Young Journalists' Club that a female medical student also died, and her family discovered their child's death when they woke her up.

The president of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences stated that the cause of the students' deaths is under investigation, and added that a crisis committee has been formed with the presence of a group of doctors at the university, and according to him, the issue is being investigated and followed up.

Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences has more than 6,000 students and 646 professors. The Young Journalists Club affiliated with the state-run Iranian Broadcasting Corporation continued its report by writing that two weeks ago, two students from Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz attempted “suicide.”

It was also said that a team of psychoanalysts was immediately dispatched by the Ministry of Science to the dormitories of Shahid Chamran University to investigate the matter.

What is the other version of the story?

According to the state news agency IRNA, in early December, social media platforms reported the discovery of the bodies of two male students studying at Shahid Chamran University in Ahvaz. IRNA initially reported, citing a public relations statement from Shahid Chamran University in Ahvaz, that two of the university's students had lost their lives in two tragic "accidents."

The announcement, without mentioning the details of the incident, stated that on December 28, one of the students living in the boys' dormitory (Martyr Alam al-Hoda Dormitory) left the dormitory and the next day, his lifeless body was found on a street in the Bostan area of ​​Ahvaz.

Alireza Qaderdan, the vice president of student affairs at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, told IRNA that the computer science student, who is from Andimeshk city, did not return to his residence three days ago after leaving the dormitory, and his roommates informed his family about the matter.

Meanwhile, ILNA, citing Ghadardan, the vice president of students at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, announced the name of the 19-year-old student from Andimsheki as "R. Sh.", who left the dormitory on December 29 and never returned. It had previously been said that the student left the dormitory on December 29 and did not return.

Two weeks after the student's death, the cause of death has not yet been determined, and according to Qaderdan, the forensic pathologist and competent authorities have begun their investigations into the matter.

The second incident concerns the death of another student who lives in the Shahid Alam Al-Hoda dormitory of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. He is from Baghmalek city and is a biology student. As reported by the media, citing the public relations department of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, this student hanged himself from the trees behind the dormitory at 4:00 AM on December 3.

It is said that despite the efforts of the dormitory residents and their transfer to medical centers, the student also died. In this case, the police have not yet released a report on the cause of death. The names of these students have not been officially announced by university officials or other authorities, and university officials have only said that the reasons for the two incidents, whether it was death or "suicide", are under investigation.

Many users on various social media platforms called the deaths of the two students suspicious and demanded transparent information about the cause of death.

Bodies of two female students in classroom

While some local media outlets in Khuzestan reported that the deaths of two male students in Ahvaz have raised many questions and uncertainties, and families are worried about their students, the announcement of the suspicious deaths of two female students in Ahvaz, a few days after the "accident or suicide" of two male students in the same city, has further fueled doubts and concerns.

The website "Asr Junob" reported today, December 16, the death of two female students studying at Jundishapur University of Ahvaz. Citing information published on social media, it wrote: "Last night, one of the female students of Jundishapur University of Ahvaz, who was entering in 2012, lost her life, and this morning, the lifeless body of M. Siahi, another student of this university (entering in 2016, majoring in pharmacy) was found in one of the classrooms."

Further details about the names of these students, the cause and manner of their deaths have not been released.

Regarding the deaths of two Jundishapur University students, Jahanpour, the director of public relations for the Ministry of Health, said that the general information about the matter has been reported to the Ministry of Health and that the details are being investigated. He added that the Ministry of Health has not yet received "accurate information" but that they will "definitely" follow up on the matter.

The two deceased female students were studying medicine and pharmacy.

Providing information on the condition that the information is not confidential

The Public Relations Director of the Ministry of Health, meanwhile, pointed out that the "medical records and psychological and family conditions" of these students should be examined and details about their deaths should be announced later, and stated: "If there is no confidential information about these students, this issue will definitely be reported and its public aspect will be made known to the public by the end of the week."

This official at the Ministry of Health did not specify what he meant by confidential information and whether he meant the results of examining the medical records and mental state of these students, which naturally must remain confidential based on ethical standards and professional confidentiality, or whether other excuses could prevent the information from being disclosed.

With the beginning of the protests in November 2019, cities in Khuzestan province, including Ahvaz, were also the focus of popular protests. In these protests, which coincided with gatherings of workers from other companies and industries, such as the Haft Tappeh sugarcane factory, many citizens and students were also arrested and detained.

Some eyewitnesses posted numerous video images of uniformed and plainclothes forces clashing with protesters on social media.

Many social media users commented on the deaths of these four students from different perspectives.

A user named Alireza wrote on Twitter: "Yesterday, another death occurred, and the university told news channels not to write about the cause of death. This one, a 95th-grader in the Pharmacy Department, Kharazmi, won the Channel 3 contest "Be the Winner." He was proficient in website and app design and twenty programming languages."

Maryam, another user, asked Alireza, "Are they really committing suicide or are they just pretending to commit suicide?"

Source: DW