Press Archive - 10th June 2011 - 20 Comments »
Rape and Torture: Legacy of the Post-Election Crackdown
Video Testimony from a Young Woman Raped in Detention, Most Detailed Account to Date
UN Special Rapporteur Should Investigate Rape Allegations in Light of Rampant Impunity
“The raw material of this video was originally obtained by the Center for Investigative Reporting. Reach them at information@cironline.org.”
(10 June 2011) On the second anniversary of the disputed June 2009 election and the ensuing repression, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran today released video testimony from a young female detainee describing in detail her severe torture and repeated rape after her arbitrary arrest.
Her forceful testimony challenges the Iranian authorities’ official narrative, which denies widespread use of torture and rape by security forces against ordinary protestors.
“Rape is one of the worst forms of torture and allegation after allegation of sadistic torture and sexual abuse continue to emerge,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the Campaign’s spokesperson.
Related Link: “Iranian Women Prisoners Detail Torture: ‘Death Was Like a Desire’,” PBS NEWSHOUR SEGMENT
“How can the Iranian Judiciary claim a shred of legitimacy if it continues to shield the perpetrators of such atrocities? Its credibility is gone with the wind as it promotes a climate of rampant impunity,” he added.
The Campaign expressed serious concern that the same security and intelligence apparatus that committed the gross atrocities detailed in this video testimony, continues to be in charge of the arbitrary detention, interrogation, and imprisonment of prisoners of conscience and dissidents.
Over the past two years the Judiciary has become a tool of the security and intelligence agents, demonstrating an utter lack of independence.
The Campaign is releasing a 28-minute segment from an original 100-minute video interview with the young woman who was detained, tortured and raped in the summer of 2009. The interviewer spent more than twelve hours with the survivor to affirm various aspects of her experience. The interviewer shared all of the details that emerged for the twelve-hour interview with the Campaign, however, any information that may indicate the young woman’s identity has been withheld to protect her from reprisals.
The young woman in the video vividly describes being groped by a boy in the service of security forces during her arrest, along with several other women and held in a secret location that she describes as a warehouse. She spent days in a cramped cell, blindfolded, and deprived of water, food, and toilet privileges. She was then transferred to another secret detention center and held in solitary confinement.
There, blindfolded and gagged, the young woman, who had been a virgin, explains that one of her captors brutally raped, beat and humiliated her.
“First thing he did was lick my face,” the victim recounts. “I felt my life drained. He started to pull my clothes off. My hands bound, my eyes covered, I started crying. He shouted ‘shut up whore!’ Then he started. Opened my bra and took my clothes off. He was stroking and hitting me at the same time, saying ‘I will do something to you that you’ll never forget, I’ll make it so you never leave your house again, anytime you hear my name you will tremble, I’ll drive you insane.’ And he did. He raped me.”
Later, a different security functionary reportedly burned her hands, knees and breasts with cigarettes, and kicked her stomach, forcing blood into her mouth. The interviewer corroborated her account by observing marks on her body that appeared to be remnants of cigarette burns.
Describing the weeks following her first rape and sadistic cigarette burnings, the victim recalls: “I could smell blood, I was still drowsy. I didn’t feel well. They took me back to the cell. I don’t know how much time passed. One week, two weeks. Every other day it was the same routine. They would take me into the room, they would beat me, rape me…”
Rape and torture continued for several weeks until her release, after which she suffered a urinary tract infection and other injuries.
The young woman said that, “My spirit was crushed.” She then implored other rape and torture survivors to speak out, and asked for the international community not to forget the plight of many other survivors of rape and brutality who are living in silent despair.
The Campaign started to receive credible and reliable reports of rape against post-election detainees as early as 25 July 2009. It appears that ordinary people, protestors without profiles, have faced rape and the harshest abuses. Authorities have been apparently trying to cripple them emotionally and send a message to ordinary Iranians that if you go on the streets, if you criticize the government, they will make you suffer.
On 29 July 2009, Mehdi Karroubi, the opposition leader, wrote a letter to Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, saying, “Some of the detainees have reported that female detainees have been severely raped, resulting in serious injuries to the sexual organs. On the other hand, some of the young male detainees have been violently raped such that they have developed serious psychological and physical complications, suffering from deep depression.” Karroubi made this letter public on 9 August 2009 and demanded a parliamentary investigation.
On 12 August 2009, Ali Larijani, the head of the Parliament announced that a special parliamentary committee had dismissed the evidence provided by Karroubi. Their denial was so rushed that it strongly indicated that Larijani’s committee had not conducted any serious or in depth investigation. On 24 August, Karroubi published a detailed account of his own investigations and simultaneously met with a special parliamentary committee.
On 7 and 8 September 2009, security forces attacked and shut down three groups collecting testimony from rape and torture victims. The three groups included the Association to Defend Prisoners Rights; the Committee for Following the Situation of Detainees, which is a part of the campaign of reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi; and the Committee for Following Detainees and Injured, which is a part of the Karroubi campaign. The security forces confiscated all of their documents and evidence.
Shortly after these attempts by officials to cover up evidence of rape and torture, two male victims, Ebrahim Mehtari and Ebrahim Sharifi, fled Iran and provided their testimonies to the Campaign and other international human rights organizations.
“No matter how hard Iranian officials try to hide the truth, they cannot succeed,” Ghaemi said. “All of these young victims are part of Iranian society. As such, the atrocities committed against them cannot be wiped from the country’s collective memory and demands for justice and accountability will continue to haunt the Iranian regime.”
“The heartbreaking nature of this young woman’s case, the lack of accountability, and the complete disregard for due process are a profound testament to the disintegrating legal system in Iran,” Ghaemi added.
The Campaign urges the forthcoming UN Special Rapporteur on Iran to investigate all claims of torture, drawing particular attention to allegations of rape at the hands of interrogators. The Campaign also stresses the necessity for the full investigation and prosecution of perpetrators to ensure that those coming forward can do so without fear of retribution.
20 Comments
afsnahe
واقعا” متاسفم
irani
if you living in Iran you will better understand way the video is publishd now ?
Microraptor70
I understand that BBc Persian TV have decided, with the help of psychologists, that this video is a fake — and that they informed you of this. What makes you sure this is real if they think it is not?
cyrus
how can we help her?
Why is she stil in IRAN?
uli vsanden - Munich
merci for bringing this to light
ناشناس
بسیار ناراحت کننده است. زبانم بند آمده. ولی شجاعتت رو میستایم. از اینکه کارهای زشت این آدمهای پلید را بازگو کرده ای نباید شرمسار باشی. آنها باید از کرده ی خود شرمسار باشند. آنها دیر یا زود به سزای اعمال خود خواهند رسید.
It is very sad and unfortunate. But I admire your brevity in surfacing their criminal acts. You should never be ashamed of telling what they did to you. They should be ashamed. One day they’ll get their punishment.
Lie
Obviously this is a big lie!!
I can trust to this talk.
I am sorry for you to tell this big lie !!!
Junaid
Why should I believe what is written by some American, how was the video made how did the guys fled iran by the way where was the human rights when the American soldiers humiliated and brutally tortured innoccent men in the prison of Aabu Gharib in Iraq. where is human rights when the drones attacks in Pakistan are killing innocent men women and children every day in Pakistan.
for me its just a Jewish propaganda against Iran i donot believe a word of with out any proof. Americans once again making a way now to invade Iran just like they lied about Arms of Massive destruction in Iraq.
davod
I hate iranian governent ,but this girl is lieing,there is no question the Mola beating and turturing people but the story she’s telling is non sense,so many lies I heard from her I dont want to count them or go throgh the story word by word but belive it or not ,she’s making up this story
abi
you are very very good playing
Hamed
چرا این ویدیو بعد از یکسال در 21 خرداد در فضای مجازی پخش شد؟
با پخش این ویدیو در 21 خرداد، رژیم می خواهد مردم را از تظاهرات 22 خرداد بترساند و عده ای نیز فریب خوردند و این واین ویدیو را در 21 خرداد تکثیر کردند.
این نشان می دهد که ما هنوز به آن بلوغ فکری نرسیده ایم که قبل از هرکاری در مورد عواقب آن نیز فکر کنیم.
ما هنوز به آن آگاهی نرسیدیم که تشخیص بدهیم چه موقع باید چه کار کرد.
آیا واقعا اینقدر سخت است، در مورد اعمال خودمان هم کمی تامل کنیم؟
آیا تا بحال فکر کرده اید چرا طبیعت و یا خداوند به ما انسانها عقل داده است؟
سعی کنیم از مغز و عقل خود استفاده کنیم.
برای اینکه تعداد کلیک ها در یک صفحه اینترنتی افزایش یابد، نباید هر چیزی را سریع به نمایش گذاشت.
ممکنه امروز تعداد کلیک ها در یک صفحه بیشتر شود ولی فردا نتیجه عکس می دهد، چون برایتان بخاطر این عمل احمقانه تبلیغات منفی می شود.
Alex
The most shameless propaganda I’ve ever seen. How badly do you want the US to bomb Iranians?
Concerned
It is imperative that more students like her overcome fears and tell the world what happened to them in prison by the brutal executioners of this regime.
My hat goes off to this young lady for having the courage to share her story. This indicates how strong and intelligent she is.
Irandoost
That after 32 years of killing, raping and torturing, there are still people who question such videos, can only mean two things: They are supporters of the Islamic Republic and probably befit from it, or they are without a brain and human sentiments. And for those Iranians who can still be focused America and what it did in Iraq or whether the Palestinians have a homeland or not, at a time when their own country is burning, I have only one thing to say. You deserve to be living in Iran and having your own mother. sister and brother be raped and tortured at the hands of the monsters that run the country, to understand where your priorities need to be. Even if this video is actually unreal, given what this regime has been doing to Iran and Iranians, there would be far more reason to believe it than reject it. These things are happening in Iran on a regular basis, irrespective of this video. Is it also an Israeli or American lie that this regime has destroyed Iran and brought misery to its people? There are thousands of reports as to how Iran executes more people than any other country. Even the regime was obliged to acknowledge that rape and torture took place in its prisons after the June uprisings. What does it take for you people to wake up and focus on what is going on in Iran? Have some feelings, some sense of nationalism; have some shame so as to not make such careless, irrelevant, and uneducated comments about your country and your people that supports the rule of the present regime. Be an Iranian.
maryam-kamali
من که خود مصیبت ها وسختی های زیادی را دید ه ام شمارا درک می کنم وبا تمام احساس شمارا دوست خود می دانم روح پاک شما لطمه خورده مرهم این زخم ها چیزی تنها آزادی واقعی و سقوط دیکتاتور است ما با شما ییم ما زنان که در دل هرکدام ما قصه تلخی است شریک آلام وخاطرات رنج آور شماییم
Valbert
I am astonished by some of the comments of “disbelief” – i KNOW this treatment has happened to other innocent souls. SHAME SHAME SHAME to a regime, and any individual, that perpetrates such actions, and shame to those who choose to deny the truth.
Navid
I hate to say that this looks like a fake video!
I hate Iranian government and stupid people in charge of the country more than any1 else, but I guess that the girl is a good actress. even though I know that those bastards do evil things to prisoners including torturing and what we can’t possibly imagine, still I agree with other people in here that this is a fake video …
persian girl in Europe
I have since young age visited Iran numerous time. Iran is in my heart. It’s where my roots are. But I’ve encountered so many various harassment and insults that I all the bad memories have taken over, and made me fearful of visiting my own country.
As a 9 year old, I had guys rubbing there hands on me when walking past me in the park, men on different corners trying to lure little child away, I’ve been insulted and called whore by the mullah’s for not wearing appropriate clothing, almost raped, and prisoned once for swimming in the ocean, threatened by court to marry my cousin, I’ve had gun on my face from the age of 8, I’ve seen my mum fighting against the police threaten to be killed, I’ve seen my sister almost been taken away from me in the bazaar by women police… and the list is endless.
All of this has happened to me… as a tourist in my own home country. Now imagine, the suffering, the pain, the assault that these women living there has to live with, day in, and day out. I’ve heard their passionate, emotional, suffering voices. It’s unbearable, it breaks my heart!
This story is the story of the heartbroken, prisoned 21st century Iranian Women. We are all prison behind our veils!
Elizabeth Burke
Horrific. To those who say she is lying… what woman on this earth would humiliate/put herself at risk to participate in a video which can be viewed by the entire world? To say that she is lying is to multiply the insults which have already been weighted upon her.
Iran is governed by a truly evil regime – just how evil is scarcely known (or cared about) by those in the west.
I admire her courage and resilience in the face of this horrendous abuse and I pray that she will also find the courage and the strength (if she has not already done so) to somehow physically (and emotionally) leave this country behind. It belongs in the darkest of ages.
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she has spoken a year ago, why publish it now?????