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Armita Abbasi

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Armita Abbasi
آرمیتا عباسی
Born2001 (age 22–23)
Rasht, Iran
Known forEnforced disappearance by Islamic Republic of Iran

Armita Abbasi (Persian: آرمیتا عباسی; born 2001)[1] is an Iranian protester, who was arrested on October 10, 2022, in Karaj, Iran by the Islamic Republic of Iran's forces amid Iran's nationwide protests.[2][3][4] A week after her arrest, she experienced a serious medical condition that was reported by the hospital medical staff and by American newspaper CNN as multiple sexual assaults,[5] this was later disputed by the Iranian government and Iranian newspapers, which reported the medical condition as intestinal issues.[6] Abbasi was allegedly abducted by government security forces from the hospital.[7] Her case has received attention from the international media, and has brought attention to sexual violence and repression in Iranian prisons.[5][8][9] As of February 2023, she was released from prison.[10]

History

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Armita Abbasi had openly criticized Iranian government on social media networks during the Mahsa Amini protests.[5][11] She was arrested on October 10, 2022, in Karaj, Iran.[12][13] The Abbasi family said that their daughter had been missing for eight days while in custody.[8][14] After a week of physical and psychological torture, including repeated sexual assault at the hands of the Iranian government forces, she was taken on October 18 to the Imam Ali Hospital in Karaj.[15][16] Her parents rushed to visit her in the hospital but missed her, but she was allegedly abducted by security forces and transferred to an unknown location.[17][18][19][12][20]

In the hospital, clinical evidence of multiple, violent sexual assaults were observed and recorded.[2][12][21][10] It was also reported that security forces had shaved the hair off of her head while she was in the hospital.[2] In November 2022, CNN confirmed in an investigative report her repeated sexual assault.[22][5] Cases of systematic rape in Iranian prisons, and sexual violence by Iranian security forces have been documented for many years, however the Abbasi case is one of the few that has brought international news and attention to this issue.[8][5][23]

The security forces accompanying her to the hospital insisted that it be written in her medical certificate that the assaults occurred before Abbasi's arrest.[2] The Chief of Justice of Alborz province denied the assault report of Abbasi.[7] Her family reported that they received a phone call from security forces telling them if they ever wanted to see their daughter again, they would need to participate in an interview on television and say that they had taken their daughter to hospital due to "bloody diarrhea".[7] Her family disagreed.[7] According to Nasim News, the public was concerned that Abbasi may have been executed, and the Alborz Chief of Justice confirmed her arrest and announced that she was sent to the hospital due to intestinal problems and "bloody diarrhea",[6][24][25] and after twenty-four hours, she was sent to Fardis prison again. On October 29, the Iranian government declared Abbasi was “the leader of the riots” and that “10 Molotov cocktails” were discovered in her apartment.[7][2][26] The Iranian newspaper Jam-e Jam called into question the creditability of CNN's investigative reporting in December 2022, alleging it was questionable and "too vague", as well as supporting the claim of the Iranian government that she was experiencing intestinal issues.[6]

Abbasi has been reported to be on a hunger strike in prison as of December 2022.[7] In February 2023, after more than 100 days of detention, Abbasi was released from prison and rejoined her family.[10]

Impact

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In November 2022, she was one of the primary subjects of a CNN news investigative report about Iranian prisoners and sexual assault, and was named as one of the eleven confirmed cases of assault.[5][6] Ned Price, the spokesperson of the United States Department of State, responded publicly to the CNN report with a call to swift action by the United Nations.[5]

In photos on social media Abbasi often wore a Star of David necklace, a Jewish cultural and religious symbol, which has drawn attention to her by the International Jewish community (even though she is not Jewish).[1]

In Iranian exile and diaspora communities such as in Germany, Abbasi has been represented in local protests.[27] German politician, Carmen Wegge publicly campaigned for Abbasi's release.[28] In October 2024, after a three-month escape, Abbasi reached Munich with the assistance and Help of the German organization The Munich Circle e.V. and has been living safely since then.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "At least five Jews arrested by Iran in protests against Islamic Republic". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  2. ^ a b c d e "CNN investigates female and male protesters' accounts of sexual assault in Iranian detention centers". CNN (interactive article). November 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  3. ^ Misselyn, Ségolène. "Iran: "Un officier prenait une jolie fille, et il allait dans une pièce pour être seul avec elle et l'agresser sexuellement"". La Libre.be (in French). Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  4. ^ Santos, Leyre (2022-11-26). ""Ponen que tiene diarrea y la chiquilla lo que tiene es que está destrozada por todos lados": un activista denuncia la cruda realidad que viven las mujeres iraníes". cadena SER (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "آمریکا گزارش‌ها از تجاوز و تعرض به برخی معترضان زندانی را منزجرکننده خواند" [The United States called the reports of rape and assault on some imprisoned protesters disgusting]. BBC News فارسی (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  6. ^ a b c d "سی‌ان‌ان اعتبار چند ده‌ساله خود را پای دروغ تجاوز به آرمیتا عباسی گذاشت". Jam-e Jam (in Persian). December 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "معترض جوان در اعتصاب غذا؛ مادر آرمیتا عباسی: ۸۲ روز گذشت، به پرونده‌اش رسیدگی کنید" [Young protester on hunger strike; Armita Abbasi's mother: 82 days have passed, take care of her case]. صدای آمریکا (Voice of America, VOA) (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  8. ^ a b c Sahebi, Gilda (2022-11-25). "Repression in Iran: Sexuelle Gewalt unter dem Mullah-Regime" [Repression in Iran: Sexual violence under the mullah regime]. Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  9. ^ Rezaei, Roghayeh (January 31, 2023). ""She Suffered Beyond Belief:" 20-Year-Old Armita, A Symbol Of Iranian Resistance". IranWire. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  10. ^ a b c "En Iran, Armita Abbasi finalement libérée après plus de 100 jours en prison". France 24 (in French). 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  11. ^ "CNN investigates female and male protesters' accounts of sexual assault in Iranian detention centers". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  12. ^ a b c Sinaee, Maryam (December 27, 2022). "Detained Victims In Iran Share Harrowing Stories Of Sexual Assault". Iran International. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  13. ^ "Wir fürchten uns vor der Morgendämmerung" [We fear the dawn]. Der Spiegel (in German). 2022-12-28. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  14. ^ Jialing, Chen (November 23, 2022). "伊朗「頭巾抗爭」怒火再燒！ 傳軍警性虐待示威者" [Iran's "Hijab Protest" Is Burning Again! Military Police Sexually Abuse Protesters]. tw.news.yahoo.com (Yahoo News Taiwan) (in Chinese). Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  15. ^ Alba, Antonella (2022-11-24). "CNN: manifestanti violentate in carcere e per le strade, un reportage che sconvolge" [CNN: protesters raped in prison and on the streets, a shocking report]. RaiNews (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  16. ^ "Brutalna posilstva v zaporih: 20-letnica krvavela, policija trdi, da ima prebavne težave". www.slovenskenovice.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  17. ^ "News received from Armita Abbasi after one week". Jinha Agency News. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  18. ^ "Remove Iran from UN Commission on the Status of Women –". Feminine-Perspective Magazine (FPMag). Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  19. ^ Perrin, Jean-Pierre. "Viols, tortures et disparitions forcées : en Iran, dans le labyrinthe de la répression". Mediapart (in French). Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  20. ^ "নিখোঁজ আন্দোলনকারী তরুণী, ইরানি গার্ডদের বিরুদ্ধে অপহরণ-ধর্ষণের অভিযোগ" [Iran Hijab Protest : Missing protesting girl, kidnapping-rape allegations against Iranian guards]. EI Samay (in Bengali). October 31, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  21. ^ Parvaz, Nasrin (2022-11-25). "I was tortured for 8 years in an Iran prison". Metro. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  22. ^ Ningyi, Li (November 21, 2022). "伊朗警察殘暴性侵男女示威者 被害人直腸破裂就醫仍續關押" [Iranian police brutally raped male and female demonstrators, the victim suffered a ruptured rectum and was still detained for medical treatment]. tw.news.yahoo.com (Yahoo News Taiwan) (in Chinese). Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  23. ^ Kunz, Samira (2022-12-29). "Proteste im Iran: Polizisten vergewaltigten Armita Abbasi – Klinik sollte es vertuschen". L'essentiel (in German). Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  24. ^ "آرمیتا عباسی و جنایت رسانه‌ای علیه بشریت" [Armita Abbasi and media crime against humanity]. نسیم آنلاین (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  25. ^ "ابراز نگرانی برای سرنوشت آرمیتا عباسی؛ او در خطر اعدام است" [Expressing concern for the fate of Armita Abbasi; she is in danger of execution]. IranWire (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  26. ^ "Teheran silenzia le proteste con stupri, condanne a morte e omicidi. Clamoroso l'arresto di due attrici famose in Iran" [Tehran silences protests with rapes, death sentences and murders. The arrest of two famous actresses in Iran is sensational]. Milleunadonna (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  27. ^ Jangravi, Azam; Koegst, Viola (December 21, 2022). ""Sie bestraften mich auf jede erdenkliche Weise"" ["They punished me in every possible way"]. Zeit Online. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  28. ^ Fries, Carolin (December 20, 2022). "Starnberg: Carmen Wegge übernimmt Patenschaft für iranische Aktivistin". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). ISSN 0174-4917. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
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