The Picture of Taraneh

A victim is a victim no matter where they hail from

Balatarin
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The Picture of Taraneh
by Fehmida Bholat
08-Sep-2009
 

Since June, the protests in Iran have been defiant, powerful and have shown that the Iranian people are a force to be reckoned with. The chants, slogans, and even the motives behind the protests have changed, and what was once seen to be an act of defiance against very obvious vote-rigging has become something different altogether. Protestors have been railing against the hypocrisy of the regime and many people have paid the price with their lives. More often than not, they are young people—those whose futures have been snatched away, whose blood soaks the cement, and whose families are threatened with violence.

One of those people has been a young Iranian woman named Taraneh, which means “song,” in Persian. According to numerous blogs and websites, (including the popular liberal website, The Huffington Post,) in June, mourners had gathered at a mosque in Tehran, awaiting a speech by Mir Hossein Mousavi honoring the martyrs of the post-election protests. Taraneh was among the group of people who were arrested by plainclothesed security for attending, and disappeared without a trace.

According to numerous blogs, her family heard nothing for weeks until an anonymous tipster alerted the family that Taraneh had been hospitalized in the Imam Khomeini Hospital near Tehran. The family didn’t know much about her condition except that she had been badly injured—according to the tipster, she had been hospitalized for  injuries consistent with rape; the "rupturing of her womb and anus in... an unfortunate accident.” 

Once the family arrived at the hospital, they were informed that she wasn’t there, but had been at the hospital a few days prior, unconscious the entire time. Soon after the hospital visit, a government official warned them to stay quiet about the story, and insisted that the government had nothing to do with it. They told the family her disappearance and stay at the hospital was not to be associated with the protests, but rather, her own guilt at having pre-marital sex. 

Many witnesses have since come forward and said they saw Taraneh physically and mentally abused at Evin, Iran’s notorious prison for political dissidents. Like many others, she was reported to have been brutally raped by the Basiji security forces and left for dead. 

What has happened to Taraneh after that is up for debate. Some blogs and Twitter accounts are reporting that her family was informed that a burned corpse matching her description had been found in a desert. Others have said that she is still alive, but has withdrawn from society because of the shame she is experiencing in the aftermath of the rape. All of the information coming in has been conflicting and unconfirmed.

Though it is extremely difficult to verify the events and protests unfolding in Iran because of the government’s crackdown, many citizen journalists have filled the void by taking their own video, recording on their cell phones and updating blogs and Twitter accounts. However, this means that all of the information has not been vetted or checked. The authenticity of Taraneh’s story cannot be guaranteed, and even the call that suggested she was raped was given by someone who wished to remain anonymous. 

Whatever the details may be of happened to Taraneh, the media has picked up on her tragic narrative with fervor. Most blogs and websites that have written about her story, (including The Huffington Post,) have posted a picture of the young woman. This is clearly a double standard in western media ethics. Under almost no circumstances, do reporters release or post pictures of the victims without permission. 

We must ask ourselves, why is it different with an Iranian woman? Why does the media feel it is not appropriate to release the identities of rape victims within their own country, but do so freely with victims from abroad? This woman has been terribly violated in the worst way possible, and to spread her picture and information around the world violates her again. There is still a terrible stigma attached to rape and it’s victims in many countries, including Iran. By posting her picture along with her story, Taraneh may never fully be able to move past what happened, if she is indeed alive. 

That brings us to why this happened in the first place. American media would never have posted the picture of a rape victim in the U.S, especially if she was a private citizen as Taraneh is. There seems to be an “us vs. them” mentality here at work. This makes the victims of these crimes to be “others,” which we may point to and gawk and prod at their misery, while “our” victims should be shielded and protected. 

This story not only highlights where the media’s ethics have gone, but also offers an unfortunate but enlightening glimpse into how journalism’s standards have fallen in the past few generations. The bandwagon effect has also been seen in full effect. Once one blog posted the picture, so did others, which no one questioned. They only followed suit, and reposted the picture as if to say ‘well, hadn’t the harm been done already?’

Granted, the situation in Iran has been very difficult for journalists to cover and therefore they rely on bloggers or amateur citizen journalists more and more often. However, there is a responsibility that comes along with reporting stories such as these; it’s as if the ethics violations have gone viral There is not only the woman behind the photograph, but her family, her friends, and the potential consequences it could bring to the victim. 

The media must not differentiate between how to report on crimes committed domestically, and those committed abroad. A victim is a victim no matter where they hail from, and whether they are from Iran or Idaho, there should be across-the-board respect and understanding that ought to be afforded to all.

Balatarin
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Azarin Sadegh

Your comment seems unrelated to Taraneh's case.

by Azarin Sadegh on Fri Oct 30, 2009 09:40 AM PDT

She is dead. She can't come forward to say: "Hey, I want to be this or that..."

Anyway, dead people shouldn't really care about anything, I'd say. 


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Keyvan

To Don

by Keyvan on Thu Oct 29, 2009 01:51 PM PDT

Your interpretation is great, but the point is its not universal. 

You could make the same interpretation about any US rape victim, but out of respect for the victim (WHO'S OPINION IS YET UNKNOWN) we must keep their indentity private.  

If one day she comes out and says "hey I want to be a symbol, know my name and identity and everything that happened to me and forever associate my face with rape and let it be the definition of my existance" then this will be justified....(i don't think she would) but the point is WE - DON'T - KNOW what she wants, and we need to stop thinking about what we wish to morally profit from this and iconify her as, without even getting her consent, and start thinking of her as a human being.

 

Keyvan


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Don

to give honor

by Don on Fri Sep 18, 2009 12:14 AM PDT

 

To get rapidly to the point, this young lady was thought to be horribly raped and the author thought it was obscene to show her picture in the USA as it would enhance the victim’s shame. I am saying that under the circumstance showing the picture, and the brutal story behind it, there is no shame on her by me, nor any one I know, nor would shaming her be any part of my USA culture.

The story is horribly tragic, Taraneh, a victim not only to a cruel and bastard Islamic government, but also violated beyond words. I am happy her story was told, and her picture shown to bring the event into reality and make it personal.

Taraneh would, and does, receive nothing but high honor for her bravery, nothing but deep compassion for her suffering, nothing but the highest respect for her as a person; nothing but the greatest admiration to Taraneh as a fighter against one of the most brutal governments on this earth.

This young lady can never be shamed, can never be disrespected, as in her acts she did more for her country, gave more to her county, and gave more to humanity than any of the nasty Islamic rulers.

The shame, and mountains of it, belong to the garbage president of Iran, and all the blood sucking monkeys that support him. As a USA citizen by birth, it is easy to forget the freedoms that we have, the great power the person has in our civil courts, and in our criminal courts. We have the right to open public protest, the right speak in public as to what is on our minds, and openly challenge our government from the state level to the federal level and NO harm will come to us. We have these rights and freedoms because of the great sacrifice from people as Taraneh. Her picture should be shown so we can honor her, praise her strength, bravery, and determination.

As to those that did her harm, I would enjoy having them in our USA courts and I will show these Islamic rats the true meaning of the words shame, humiliation, embarrassment, and dishonor as the judge hands out 20 years to life in prison as their reward for being an animal. All our trials and court proceedings are open to the public, and NO woman that suffers abuse will be shamed in anyway what so ever, but rather find validation in nobility. However the evil criminal(s) will drown in their own abasement as the public wags their heads and points their finger at any beast that would dare harm a woman.

By posting I want to set the record straight and tell the Iranians and Persians that seek freedoms and justice, you do not stand alone, not at any time. Keep getting your message out, keep the faith in what is right, and there will be a time that we will shake hands and never again will brave people as Taraneh have to hide from any oppressive jackass Islamic government.

Don


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Keyvan

Shepesh

by Keyvan on Thu Sep 10, 2009 01:25 AM PDT

First of all, the only report that came out saying she was dead came from the NCRI.  As far as credible reporting goes, she was brutally raped and is either still jailed or sent off.  (we all know the ncri likes to take things farther to get people more riled up, not that people aren't justifiably riled up about this).  That poor girl, and her family, what happened was bad enough, now the stigma, and this sick fame will cause her to relive it again and again, and suffer endless social consequences.

Second, even if a substancial amount of people ever took such claims from the IR seriously (they dont), if her identity were not revealed in the first place, and she remained anonymous, no apologetic of the regime could even suggest to identify the whereabouts of her anyway!  That pathetic regime attempt comes only AFTER the identity was revealed. 

 So if anything, revealing her idenitty helps the regime apologetics in that very effort!

 
Finally, lets pretend that there was an instance in which revealing her picture has such a level of positive. (there isn't in my opinion, but lets pretend there is)  that does not NEGATE any of those aforementioned negatives!!  

 I will go so far as to say that the fact that the western media did this to an Iranian woman, goes to show that on some latant sub-conscious level they think an Iranian is just a sub-human, and does not deserve the same rights and dignity of western women. 

Either that, or they felt it would be 'juicier' to reveal such an identity, and unlike if they reported the identity of western rape victims, there are no rape victims rights groups out there, or women's rights groups who would challenge their actions, as representing women as far off as in Iran is considerably outside their watchdog jurisdiction.  

 Shame on them!


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by Shepesh on Wed Nov 25, 2009 03:57 AM PST

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Keyvan

SHE'S RIGHT!!! and you guys commenting are off-base)

by Keyvan on Tue Sep 08, 2009 09:00 PM PDT

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

First of all, Fehmida here is not saying that this story shouldn't be told, just that her identity need not nor should it be revealed.  Plastering her picture all over the world is unnecessary, and intensely stigmatizing to the poor girl who had to live through it.  One may think they are doing her a service, but we need to remember how the western media protects the identities of those rape victims in the west.  It's not our place to judge whats best for her.

In fact,  some have argued that rape is also a TOOL of the regime, to stigmatize young girls, warding off aggression by them.  A valid point, wouldn't promoting this tragety and making this "rape girl" famous be very effective at just that?  I think many girls stay home IN PART not necessarily because of the fear of being caught and raped, but that then the whole world will know about that humiliating consequence.

 

AZARIN and SHEPESH , I think you missed HER point.  "Taraneh" does not have a "point" to her, and THATS the idea here!!  Fehmida is explaining that Taraneh is a HUMAN BEING, not a subject. 

Secondly, the only "source" that said she was dead was the NCRI (mko) and they hardly count as "journalism"  No other source, (let alone a CREDIBLE one) has said that she is dead.  but the thing is...what if she were dead?  that doesn't change the fact of the matter, that we don't need to reveal the IDENTITY/PICTURE of this girl for her story to be told

The western media protects identities of rape victims for a REASON - the stigma.

Also Shepesh, she is not saying that the brutalities of the regime need to be reported, just that plastering this poor girls picture all over the world as the "rape girl" is not only unnecessary but unfair and stigmatizing to her.  

The stigma of rape is very high, especially among circles where there is the ADDED (but not only) stigma of one being thereby 'physically impure' etc. Shirin Sadeghi wrote about this very issue in the Huffington Post, but IRONICALLY that very article actually included Taraneh's picture.

 

//edition.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/16/rape.confidential/index.html 


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Azarin Sadegh

You've missed the point, Fahmideh!

by Azarin Sadegh on Tue Sep 08, 2009 07:08 PM PDT

I'd say that dead people (who have been raped too) wouldn't really care about their "victim's privacy rights".


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by Shepesh on Wed Nov 25, 2009 03:57 AM PST

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