THE TIMES: A year ago today Bahareh Maghami, 28, a primary school teacher, was arrested at Ghoba mosque, Tehran, during the huge demonstrations that followed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed election victory. She was beaten and raped. She fled to Germany and recently posted an open letter on the internet because, she said, “there is nothing left of me and no reason to hide my name any more”.
She recalled: “There were three of them. All were dirty and wore beards. They had a terrible accent and foul mouths. Even though they saw that I was a virgin they accused me of being a whore and forced me to admit I was a prostitute.” She still wakes in terror at night, still smells their sweat.
Her father “shattered into pieces” when he learnt her fate, and her mother “aged a hundred years overnight”. Because of her shame “relatives, friends, neighbours and everyone cut off relations”. The family was driven from Tehran, and then from Iran. As for herself, it is “as if my whole humanity is taken away from me. My womanhood was destroyed. I will never be able to love a man. I’m like the walking dead.” >>> Martin Fletcher | Saturday, June 12, 2010
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