Stories from women in Iran

[RelaxAndDetox]

To those who asked why Iranian women Marzieh and Reyhaneh didn't report rape in court before defending themselves.

Marzieh Nayeri was forced to marry a man at 17. Child marriage is legal under Sharia law in Iran.

At 18, her husband's business associate, drunk, in her own home, tried to sexually assault her. Her husband watched and did nothing. She grabbed a kitchen knife. She fought back. The attacker was wounded. Her husband was killed. She hid for four days. Then she went to her brother for help. He turned her in to the police.

She recorded a message for her mother before her execution:

"I want the world to know what is being done to me."

Iran hanged her on August 8, 2026. She was 24.

Reyhaneh Jabbari was 19 when a former intelligence officer tried to sexually assault her. She fought back. He died. She spent seven years in Evin Prison. The world signed petitions. Iran sharpened the rope. She was 26.

Iran hanged her anyway. In 2014.

Under Sharia law in Iran, to prove rape, a woman must produce four male witnesses to the act itself.

Four. Male. Witnesses.

If she cannot, her accusation becomes a confession. She is no longer the victim. She is the criminal, facing flogging, prison, or death.

This is not ancient history. This is the law still on the books today. The law that Abdul El-Sayed is asking Americans not to fear.

This is the most bonkers thing I've read on here for a while. You know homosexuality is forbidden in islam, right? The Portuguese did not have an extensive empire (they were focussed on ports) and it was all over in the 17th century and Iran was never colonised by the British anyway.

Agree we did not start it - was thinking “we” as in the West,

Ok though I don't like that because "we" as in the UK (or the rest of Europe) had no say in the US & Israel starting the war in Iran.

I believe in people and countries taking responsibility for their own actions - good and bad - not "we" as in we're all in the West or "we" being guilty because of what our ancestors did before we were even born.

Fair enough - but the original post was more generally about the role of Western Governments in Iran's trajectory which is why I included the US. Agree that for once the UK quite rightly kept out of it.

Tbf somehow the revolution sold false future to everyone. Those images of women celebrating.

Shortly after really awful outcomes happened to them.

The IRGC was set up to protect the revolution at any cost, just don’t get close to allowing the same anywhere else it’s almost impossible to get out of.

What a terrible system and country

Thanks for this. Sadly, many people just repeat the inaccuracy that the British empire or other western countries are behind the problems in particular countries today. A lazy comment. In the case of Iran, that simply isn't true. It feels like the old 'hate the white colonisers' which considering they weren't colonised, as you say some ports and more about the waterways than an attempt to colonise.