Al-Arabia Television reported on two simultaneous stories in Iran which has widely attracted international attention to the extent of Iranian regime’s repressive rule. One report is about the execution of Reyhaneh Jabbari, a 26-year old university student who was accused of killing an Iranian intelligence officer who had tried to sexually assault her seven years ago. Despite an international outcry to stop the execution of Reyhaneh, the Iranian regime hanged her on Oct. 25 sending a shockwave throughout the country as well as the international community.
Al-Arabia says that the Iranian regime’s pledges of optimism and the efforts being taken to bring the acid attackers to justice, was dashed after the arrest of dozens of Iranian activists who protested to express solidarity with the innocent victims of this heinous crime and it appeared more than ever that these pledges were nothing but empty promises. It actually was yet another criminal incident adding to the previous ones against women in Iran and it only increased the doubts as to whether Iran is able to bring change in to the society and establish security for women.
The story begins, as it is reported by Al-Arabia, when a number of motorcyclists splashed acid on to the faces of women in Isfahan, bringing a widespread condemnation for the Iranian regime. It appeared that regime’s officials in their face book pages defended the act saying this phenomenon is due to the women’s “bad veiling” and that it is the women themselves who attract these attackers by not covering themselves completely.
At a scene when actually the victim is pursued not the criminal, it becomes understandable why does Iran arrests the protesters and not the culprits.
These continuous events, according to Al-Arabia, put a big question mark on the rights of women in Iran. Contrary to what some thought that the doors of freedom would open to the Iranian society after Rouhani coming to power, the events within the first year of his presidency shows that women in Iran are far from obtaining their rights.