Two Men Raped a Woman Who Had Fled to Them for Help

Passengers in a car raped a young woman who had fled to them after being assaulted. The Iran newspaper reported on Saturday (June 17) that this woman was kidnapped by a driver on her way home and was raped in the deserts south of Tehran. According to the state newspaper, after her release, the young woman sought refuge with two passengers in a car, only to be assaulted by them as well. "Iran" wrote that these two individuals, "disregarding the woman's tearful eyes and pleas," took her "to a barn and after the assault left her in a dark desert." The woman added that the first driver, after the assault, also stole "money, some gold, and valuable items she had with her." She stated that after the incident, she made her way to a deserted road and asked the occupants of a car for help, only to be assaulted again. The woman further mentioned that "one of the passengers in this car, named Siamak, attempted to strangle me when he saw my resistance, but his accomplice saved me from him." Ultimately, with the help of someone she referred to as "a gallant driver," she reached the police station and recounted the ordeal she had faced. According to the report, following the woman's complaint, detectives from the Tehran Criminal Investigation Police identified and arrested one of the passengers of the second vehicle, named "Babak." In his confession, Babak stated that he committed such a "huge mistake" at the insistence of his friend Siamak. After this confession, police were also able to arrest Siamak. Babak confirmed in his statements that he had participated in the assault on this woman and had previously been arrested "for involvement in a murder-related brawl." Street harassment leading to rape in Iran is among the crimes that a significant number of women fall victim to annually. In November 2015, Hossein Ghanbarnejad, a representative of the Strategic Deputy of the Judiciary, reported a sudden increase of 200 to 300 cases of "rape" compared to 2010 and stated that the statistics for this crime in 2014 were about 1,313 cases. This official reported that the statistics for street harassment against women and girls in 2010 were about 72,000 cases and in 2014 nearly 143,933 cases, showing a 98 percent increase. Meanwhile, Hossein Sajjadi-Nia, the commander of the Tehran police, stated that such reports are "not true," and the spokesperson for the judiciary has also refused to confirm these statistics.