Tehran: Iranian women detained in jail in the ongoing anti-government protests are facing sexual and physical abuse.
Narges Mohammadi, woman human rights defender, and deputy director and spokesperson of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC), is serving a long prison sentence in Iran’s Evin Prison.
She wrote a letter to the BBC detailing how the women are being physically and sexually abused, following their arrests as a result of protests across the country, which began in September following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
Mohammadi said that one of the prominent female activists had her limbs tied to a hook inside the car that was taking her to Evin Prison. Once the activist was transferred, she was sexually assaulted by prison officers, resulting in bruises and scars on her body.
She says that another woman who was arrested also faced sexual assault while being transferred to prison on a motorbike by two security officers.
The activist stated that, not revealing these crimes would contribute to the continuation of application of this repressive methods against women.
In light of this, it appears that there is a need for widespread and robust coverage on a global level about the assault on women activists, fighters, and protesters in Iran.
Mohammadi ended the letter by expressing her belief that the “brave, resilient, energetic, and hopeful women of Iran” would achieve victory. “Victory means establishing democracy, peace and human rights, and ending tyranny,” she added.
Popular demonstrations have been going on in Iran for months, against the backdrop of the killing of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, after her arrest by the morality police since September 16, while the security forces continue to suppress the demonstrators by all means.
Since that time, the authorities have used all means of violence against the protesters in order to quell those protests to no avail, amid international condemnation of these violations.
