Iranian government is giving out condoms for criminals to rape jailed activists

[Babur]

If this is true, it is absolutely atrocious and shows how hypocritical it is of Iran to criticise other governments for repressing their people.This is occurring in the midst of what appears of a factional struggle between Khamenei and Ahmadinejad, Ahmadinejad is a populist and has even tried to usurp Khamenei's primacy when it comes to knowledge of the location of the Shiah 12th Imam or the "Mahdi".

Iran giving out condoms for criminals to rape us, say jailed activists
Smuggled letters allege authorities are using mass rape as a weapon inside Iran's most notorious prisons

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Saeed Kamali Dehghan
guardian.co.uk, Friday 24 June 2011 09.42 BST
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Opposition protests in 2009: political activists have accused the intelligence ministry and revolutionary guards of harassing inmates with sexual assaults. Photograph: Reuters

Prison guards in Iran are giving condoms to criminals and encouraging them to systematically rape young opposition activists locked up with them, according to accounts from inside the country's jail system.

A series of dramatic letters written by prisoners and families of imprisoned activists allege that authorities are intentionally facilitating mass rape and using it as a form of punishment.

Mehdi Mahmoudian, an outspoken member of Iran's Participation Front, a reformist political party, is among those prisoners who have succeeded in smuggling out letters revealing the extent of rape inside some of the most notorious prisons.

Mahmoudian was arrested in the aftermath of Iran's 2009 disputed presidential election for speaking to the press about the regime's suppression of the movement and is currently in Rajaeeshahr prison in Karaj, a city 12 miles (20km) to the west of the capital, Tehran.

"In various cells inside the prison, rape has become a common act and acceptable," he wrote in a letter published on Kaleme.com, the official website of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.

According to Mahmoudian and letters published on various opposition websites, political prisoners are locked up with some of the most dangerous criminals – murderers and ex-members of armed gangs.

Meanwhile, 26 prominent political activists who have been in jail since the 2009 election have written to an official prison monitoring body accusing the government's intelligence ministry and the revolutionary guards of harassing inmates with unlawful tactics that included sexual assaults.

Mohsen Aminzadeh, a senior deputy foreign minister, Mohsen Mirdamadi, a leader of a reformist party and Behzad Nabavi, a veteran activist are among those who put their signatures on the letter.

Speaking to Jaras, a website run by opposition activists, families of political prisoners have alleged that prison guards are failing to protect them from rape or sexual assault.

"During exercise periods, the strong ask for sex without any consideration. Criminals are repeatedly seen with condoms in hand, hunting for their victims," an unnamed family member told Jaras.

"If the inmate is not powerful enough or guards would not take care of him, he will be certainly raped. Prison guards ignore those who are seen with condoms simply because they were given out to them by the guards at first place," the family member said.

The family members say prison guards are turning a blind eye to the systematic rape and have ignored complaints made by rape victims.

Amnesty International, which has documented rape inside Iran's prisons and interviewed victims for a 2010 report, called on Iran to launch an investigation into the recent allegations.

Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK's Middle East campaign manager, told the Guardian: "Rape is a terrible crime and these allegations [mentioned in the letters] should be thoroughly investigated. Amnesty International has also documented the rape of male and female detainees by security officials. Many of those detained for taking part in post-election protests were tortured and did not receive fair trials. The Iranian authorities still continue to punish and persecute those who peacefully speak up against them."

According to Mahmoudian, who has been transferred to a solitary confinement after his letter attracted attention, one young prisoner was raped seven times in a single night.

"In [Rajaeeshahr] prison, those who have pretty faces and are unable to defend themselves or cannot afford to bribe others are forcibly taken to different cells each night [to be raped]," he writes.

"The situation is such that those exposed to rape even have an owner and that owner makes money by renting him out to others and after a while selling him to someone else."

Rape victims in Iran usually stay quiet in order to protect the honour of their family but at the time when journalists based in the country are facing strict restrictions, these letters have become one of the only sources of information about the situation of hundreds of imprisoned activists.

Iranian officials have ignored the allegations and have previously denied any claims of rape inside jail.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...=NECNETTXT1349

[Rome101]

Most hilarious government ever. Too bad it's actually hurting people so there's not a lot to laugh about.
(assuming it's real, of course, and I find myself having difficulties not believing to this)

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

Rape happens in most jails.To say the actual guards give out condoms sounds like a fairy story though.In the USA people get rapped all the time and no 1 accuses Obama of incouraging it.

[charles the hammer]

Rape happens in most jails.To say the actual guards give out condoms sounds like a fairy story though.In the USA people get rapped all the time and no 1 accuses Obama of incouraging it.

I dont think the rape itself is what people are worried about its the fact they are (allegedly) encouraging it.

[Babur]

If it is true that the Iranian government is encouraging rape then it is atrocious, unacceptable and it is un-Islamic.

[Heathen Hammer]

Rape happens in most jails.To say the actual guards give out condoms sounds like a fairy story though.In the USA people get rapped all the time and no 1 accuses Obama of incouraging it.

This. The source on the story is pretty questionable too.

[Guy]

I have trouble believing this.

If it is true that the Iranian government is encouraging rape then it is atrocious, unacceptable and it is un-Islamic.

I agree with both of these.

Sometimes I wonder where I stand with Iran: do I agree with it or do I look away? Has it become a demonised state through propaganda or is it just any other state with bad habits?

Still extremely contradictory of Islam.

[Babur]

I agree with both of these.

Sometimes I wonder where I stand with Iran: do I agree with it or do I look away? Has it become a demonised state through propaganda or is it just any other state with bad habits?

Still extremely contradictory of Islam.

The ideology of the Iranian regime gives Islam a very bad name for a start.

[Treize]

Has it become a demonised state through propaganda or is it just any other state with bad habits?

Both.
Alot of both.
Iran is obviously a full blown theocracy but many people actually seem to believe that in Iran every Christian/Jew/American is beheaded.

[athanaric]

Both.
Alot of both.
Iran is obviously a full blown theocracy but many people actually seem to believe that in Iran every Christian/Jew/American is beheaded.

Which of course isn't accurate. In today's Iran, only native Iranians are subjected to genocide by the government. People who claim ancestry from some foreign conqueror are courted by the Ayatollah regime. And guess what happens to people who convert from Islam to Christianity or - God beware - Atheism.

[Heathen Hammer]

I agree with both of these.

Sometimes I wonder where I stand with Iran: do I agree with it or do I look away? Has it become a demonised state through propaganda or is it just any other state with bad habits?

Still extremely contradictory of Islam.

In my opinion its a state with bad habits in its domestic policy, that is also being demonised through propaganda for its foreign policy being independent from the wishes of US and Israel.

[Birdofilo]

I don't know if this is true or if this is just propaganda. The same way, I don't know if it's true that Bin Laden had pornography in his house, and I don't know if it's true that Gaddafi bought viagra to his soldires, so they could rape the population that oposes to him.

[Valiant Champion]

I don't know if this is true or if this is just propaganda. The same way, I don't know if it's true that Bin Laden had pornography in his house, and I don't know if it's true that Gaddafi bought viagra to his soldires, so they could rape to the population that oposes to him.

when you hide out in the same room for 5 years life can get boring.

[Rolling Thunder]

This. The source on the story is pretty questionable too.

Yes. The Guardian. Questionable.

[Heathen Hammer]

Yes. The Guardian. Questionable.

You don't really know much about history of British-Iranian relations, don't you?

[King Gambrinus]

You don't really know much about history of British-Iranian relations, don't you?

Why are you so defensive of Iran? Do you like North Korea too? Would you defend it in another Korean War?

[Claudius Gothicus]

Who can, by now, deny the criminal nature of the Iranian State?

Yes, the Shah was a bad US backed puppet and the European marxist left creamed their pants when they saw Khomeini overtake the goverment... but after 30 or more years, was it worth it?

Damn fools...

[Sir Pignans]

I have trouble believing this.

[mattgoby]

I think its something like 1 in 17 people get raped in some jails, in places like the uk and the usa, [of course exact numbers are hard to comeby] I have no idea as to the numbers in iranian jails.

[Babur]

I think its something like 1 in 17 people get raped in some jails, in places like the uk and the usa, [of course exact numbers are hard to comeby] I have no idea as to the numbers in iranian jails.

I think it is impossible to tell in Iran's case unless an independent inquiry is carried out but that is impossible under the current political system.