@freedomhouse@NazaninBoniadi One of the many remarkable things about @NazaninBoniadi is that she lives by the same principles she speaks about. She is deeply committed to bridge-building and never allows dictators or division to steer her away from unity.
@MaryamMoqaddam@kosareftekharii People defending the Islamic Republic couldn’t last one day under that regime. Absolutely shameful going after survivors.
@PersianQueen_D@AJEnglish I have consulted with lawyers. I am requesting that Al Jazeera issue a retraction of the false reporting. Hopefully they take swift action.
I’m a licensed clinician. working with survivors of violence and torture.
The shameful @ajenglish piece that aimed to discredit Iranian women sexual violence survivors is exactly why most victims don’t come forward.
I’m requesting a full retraction from Al Jazeera English.
Is ironic that you are speaking about “fake” when proper fact-checking was not done.
This story is real. She is one of the survivors I have supported, and she is not the only one. Since 2022, after the Women, Life, Freedom movement began, I have supported many survivors who have endured severe abuse, torture, sexual violence, and psychological trauma.
If you or your news outlet would like to fact-check this responsibly, I am more than willing to provide what can be safely and ethically shared about this survivor’s case, while protecting her identity and dignity.
But dismissing a survivor’s testimony as “fake” without doing the proper work is not journalism. It is harmful, irresponsible, and it mirrors the very denial survivors have already faced from the Islamic Republic.
This is poor journalism, on your part and on behalf of your network.
Thank you, Nazanin jan. I truly appreciate your words and your kindness.
Compassion fatigue is real and we are all carrying so much. And at the same time, what weighs on me, is seeing survivors have their pain dismissed, sometimes even within our own community 😞 Not being believed in your trauma is a trauma in itself.
I do become a bit of a “mama bear” when it comes to protecting them, their stories are sacred to me, even if it means getting a little loud or using some profanity to defend them. If anything, these moments have only strengthened my conviction in what I stand for: human rights for all!!
What these people have missed is that this fight has never been about us. It’s about the survivors who continue to endure and resist a system that is brutal and dehumanizing. A system so brutal and corrupt that it has distorted how people see and respond to suffering.
Sending you much love, and always holding hope for a free Iran.
Be omid-e Azadi-ye Iran 🤍
Azadeh Jan, I see you.
You’ve spent several years holding space for people who’ve experienced unbearable suffering and buried family members murdered by the regime—only for them to now say the last shred of hope is gone. That kind of secondary trauma is crushing, even for a trained therapist. This is what happens when one person absorbs the trauma of many.
Your exhaustion is visible, and it’s valid. You don’t have to be superhuman. The people attacking you in the replies don’t have to carry what you carry every day.
Thank you for still showing up for the survivors when most of the world has looked away. Please be gentle with yourself tonight and maybe mute the replies for a bit. As you know, compassion fatigue is a real phenomenon among caregivers and mental health professionals. You’re allowed to rest. The fight needs you whole.
Sending you solidarity and strength. 💙
As someone who works directly with survivors, I don’t need to “prove” lived reality, but the research exists if you care to look. Not being believed after sexual assault is a documented harm, it’s called secondary victimization, and they are 3 times higher rate of suicidally. She had 2 attempts before she reached out to me, and thank God for that. So the real question is: why are you denying something that’s already well established?
@OunkaOnX Of course I don’t expect YOU to understand the complexity of this situation… did you want us to expose her identity so the regime can find her and execute her? Would that make you sleep better at night?
@borzou As I thought, you couldn’t come up with any facts… I feel sorry for us as a community to have people like yourself questioning the survivors. I’m not here to proof anything to you or anyone else. Just know this what you are doing have a consequence for the survivors.