Organized Rape, the Naked Face of the Islamic Republic's Crime Against Iranian Women Protesters

Organized rape and physical disappearance reveal new dimensions of the Islamic Republic's crimes against detained women, with even their uteruses removed from their bodies to avoid prosecution and to leave no trace of rape.

A new report published on Friday, February 20, revealed one of the most horrific aspects of the crackdown on protesters in Iran: “The systematic sexual assault of women detained during the national revolution, a crime that, according to internal sources, was not an exception but part of a mechanism to intimidate and crush dissent.”

According to the report, dozens of women arrested in various cities across Iran have been subjected to assault and rape in detention centers and prisons. Some of them are still missing, while others have been handed over to their families with mutilated bodies; families who often remain silent and fearful, deprived of judicial follow-up.

An Iranian source who witnessed the killings of protesters paints a shocking picture of prison conditions. "I'm most worried about those who have been arrested, they rape men and women in prison. They are raped every day by a group of police. We are not considered human beings by the regime. People are raped every day in prison," he says.

He goes on to add about physical torture: "They hurt you, they punch you, they pull your nails, they bite them. Those who are detained are not given food. The government kills them every day in prison."

Another part of the report states that some women arrested after gang rapes were mutilated to destroy evidence of torture and sexual abuse. An Iranian who has fled to another country after the protests, who asked not to be named, said: “Some of the bodies of women who were returned to their families were missing their wombs so that there was no possibility of following up or investigating these crimes.” He added: “To be honest, most families did not follow up to avoid further suffering.”

Also, videos posted by people on social media show that families who lost their daughters or wives in the protests are not allowed to collect their bodies when the doctors or nurses are told that all women must be transferred from hearses to the hospital so that their wombs can be emptied. These videos, which were recorded invisibly by people, show the depth of the Islamic Republic's tragedy and crimes against the people, especially Iranian women.

One of the published images shows the body of a female prisoner in Bojnourd who, according to an informed source, was handed over to her family 25 days after her arrest, with obvious signs of torture and injury.

Another Iranian refugee said she and other detained women were gang-raped at gunpoint by masked men, effectively turning them into “sex slaves.” She said security officers exacerbated the humiliation and violence by mocking the women’s political or social beliefs.

Meanwhile, Iranian photographer Shaghayegh Moradinejad, who left Iran years ago, insists that torture “has always been the regime’s method.” “During interrogations, they squeeze their breasts, use vulgar and degrading language, and subject them to sexual harassment,” she told News Nation.

According to human rights activists, security forces have arrested more than 50,000 people during the nationwide protests, including students, children, doctors, lawyers, and civil society activists.

It was previously reported that dozens of female political prisoners have been transferred from Qarchak Prison in Varamin to Ward 350 in Evin Prison, some of whom have been sentenced to long prison terms and even death. According to informed sources, a number of these women have been assaulted and raped during the transfer or during their temporary detention.

Among the shocking accounts is the story of Kimia Alikhani, a 17-year-old girl living in Tehran who, according to her fellow inmates, was raped by four officers inside a van while being transferred from a safe house to Qarchak Prison; a story that presents a stark picture of the defenselessness of teenagers in the face of the government's machine of repression.

Some reports published by families whose identities have been withheld indicate that many girls in prison and detention have asked their families to bring them emergency contraceptive pills to prevent pregnancy during rape. This issue reveals the horrific crimes committed by the Islamic Republic regime against girls and women detained during protests.

International human rights organizations have repeatedly warned in recent years about the use of sexual violence as a tool of repression in Iran. UN special rapporteurs have also expressed their deep concern about torture, rape, and forced confessions in various statements.

The pattern outlined in published reports, including gang rape, systematic torture, physical disappearance, and intimidation of families, is described not as an isolated incident but as a government mechanism to silence voices of protest.

For the Christian community and the awakened consciences of the world, what is happening in the prisons of the Islamic Republic against women and girls is not simply a violation of the law or political repression, but a direct attack on human dignity, the sanctity of the body, and the value of human life.

The published testimonies, although horrifying and painful, are only a small part of the reality that unfolds behind prison walls, a reality that many families are unable to narrate due to fear, threats, or security pressure.

These reports once again pose the question to the international community: "How long will the crimes against detained women in Iran remain unanswered?"