"Armita Abbasi: Living with the scars."
A blog of hope and freedom by Randy L. Noble
On February 7, 2023, 22-year-old Armita Abbasi was finally released from prison on bail after 120 grueling days in captivity. The platinum blonde freedom fighter finally emerged from the “hell hole” of Fardis Prison in Karaj with her hair now fully grown back. She emerged as a survivor bearing the ugly scars of horrific sexual abuse by the vile security forces that had arrested her. It is a well-known fact that in Iran, women are treated as nothing more than objects of sexual pleasure, to satisfy the male predators that stalk them daily. It was during the early months of the uprising that security forces raped their female prisoners as one way of silencing them and putting an end to the protests. They chose the women that were pretty and ones that suited their pathetic appetite. One such woman was Armita Abbasi.
Armita grew up in the city of Karaj and was a regular on social media. She loved to get on Instagram and make videos of herself drinking coffee and playing with her cats. However, Armita was also well known as a bold and courageous leader of the protests. When she wasn’t on Instagram, she was busy in the city streets speaking out against the government’s oppression of women.
On October 10, Security forces finally converged on Armita and arrested her while she was protesting in the streets. According to one eyewitness, she was beaten and thrown into a state security van, where she was brutally gang raped on the way to jail. Eight long and grueling days passed and on October 17, Armita was rushed to Imam Ali Hospital in Karaj by plainclothes officers. When she arrived, doctors noted that her head was shaved. She was shaking violently and hemorrhaging from the rectum. Within a few hours, security forces secretly removed her from the rear entrance of the hospital before her parents could see her. The doctors who examined Armita were convinced that she had been sexually assaulted. However, the official report from the police was that Armita was suffering from a hemorrhoidal condition before her arrest.
Since the Iranian Revolution, when Khomeini was the Supreme Leader, it had been a common practice for female prisoners to be sexually molested and raped to keep them from entering paradise after they were executed. The Supreme Leader declared, “Such rapes are essential to prevent these “Anti-Islamic” women from entering paradise. So, rape is extremely important to prevent them from entering heaven.”
A vile religious practice to satisfy the disgusting appetite of pathetic men is performed on helpless, innocent women, so instead of going to paradise, they will suffer for eternity in hell. This is exactly how Armita was treated. She was pretty, intelligent, and a threat to the male establishment. They could not tolerate her being a leader of the protests, for having Molotov cocktails in her home, and for daring to stand up against the government. She had to be punished and taught a lesson. Her family was also warned not to talk to the media. They were told, “If you want to see your daughter alive again, you need to participate in a TV interview, saying that their daughter was taken to the hospital due to “bloody diarrhea,” and not rape. However, her family refused.
On January 2, 2023, Armita went on a dry hunger strike in prison, protesting her long detention and lack of medical care. Fourteen other cellmates joined in. A few weeks later, Armita’s lawyers resigned from her case, stating that they were not allowed to visit their client in person. A court-appointed lawyer stepped in and took her case. A week later, Armita was brought before Judge Assef Al-Hosseini, who is known for his cruelty, and was charged with “propaganda against the establishment, making Molotov cocktails, and holding a gathering to act against national security.” The charges against Armita are serious enough to put her behind bars for an extremely long time.
Armita is out on bail but she is forced to live with the traumatic scars of extreme sexual abuse. The images of the horrendous rape attack haunt her in the sleepless nights when she lies awake struggling to suppress the nightmares! I cannot even imagine what she is going through! The psychological and spiritual damage that was done to Armita’s body and mind is utterly unacceptable!
Dear Armita, My heart aches for you. I know you are a tough, brave, and very strong woman, but you bear the scars of vile predators determined to punish you for life for standing up to a dictatorship government. I admire your incredible courage, Armita. I want to share with you that there is a loving God who desires to heal the trauma and the scars that you are suffering from. He was there to comfort you when you were terrified and shaking with fear.
He is a God of compassion and love, Armita. There is a beautiful promise in the Bible written just for you. It says, “You keep track of all of my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” (Psalm 56:8)
Dear Armita, Jesus understands your pain and suffering, He experienced horrific pain while he was dying on the cross to forgive all of our guilt and shame. For every tear that you cried and every pain that you endured, God kept track of it. He recorded it in his book and I assure you dear Armita, that those who violated you will be held accountable. They will not escape justice. Cry out to Jesus, dear Armita. He is waiting for you with his arms of love held open wide to bring hope and healing to your scars.
