Taraneh Mousavi
Encyclopedia
Taraneh Mousavi (Persian
: ترانه موسوی) is said to be a young Iranian woman who reportedly died after being sexually abused while in custody after being arrested for protesting the 2009 election
results.
Most information about her comes from Iranian blogs and Internet sites and has not been verified. But Morteza Alviri
, representative to a committee tasked with investigating post-election crimes, confined the affair of Taraneh Mousavi. Mousavi was reportedly arrested at a protest rally close to the Ghoba mosque in Tehran
on June 28, 2009. Reports are unclear as to whether she was participating in the rally. Some weeks later, according to one Iranian blog, her mother received an anonymous call from a government source informing her that her daughter had been hospitalized for "rupturing of her womb and anus in ... an unfortunate accident". She could be found at Imam Khomeini Hospital in the city of Karaj
, just north of Tehran. Another site reportedly has stated that Mousavi "was mentally and physically abused" in Evin prison
. The site reported self-described witnesses as saying nothing about her death but that a person matching "her physical description and injuries" had been treated at the Imam Khomeini Hospital, but was unconscious both when witnessed and when later "transferred out of the hospital." On July 17 one the blogs reported that the day before, her family were informed "that a burned corpse matching Taraneh’s description had been found in the desert between Karaj and Qazvin," and that they should keep quiet about the incident. In the US, a Republican Senator publicized the incident in a speech on the Senate floor.
The Islamic Republic came up with a video purporting to identify the real Taraneh Musavi. In this video, they claimed there were only 3 Taraneh Mousavi in Iran, which is absurd, and opposition came up with a list of other Taraneh Mousavis in Iran including a musician in a music band called "Orchide".
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
: ترانه موسوی) is said to be a young Iranian woman who reportedly died after being sexually abused while in custody after being arrested for protesting the 2009 election
2009 Iranian election protests
Protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting June 13, 2009...
results.
Most information about her comes from Iranian blogs and Internet sites and has not been verified. But Morteza Alviri
Morteza Alviri
Morteza Alviri born 1948, is an Iranian politician who served as Mayor of Tehran from 1999 until 2002.-Education:He is a graduate in Electrical Engineering from the Sharif University of Technology in Tehran and has a Master's in Management from the State Management Training Center.-Career:During...
, representative to a committee tasked with investigating post-election crimes, confined the affair of Taraneh Mousavi. Mousavi was reportedly arrested at a protest rally close to the Ghoba mosque in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
on June 28, 2009. Reports are unclear as to whether she was participating in the rally. Some weeks later, according to one Iranian blog, her mother received an anonymous call from a government source informing her that her daughter had been hospitalized for "rupturing of her womb and anus in ... an unfortunate accident". She could be found at Imam Khomeini Hospital in the city of Karaj
Karaj
Karaj is a city in and the capital of Karaj County, Alborz Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 1,377,450, in 385,955 families, , making it the fifth-largest city in Iran after Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan and Tabriz.) It is situated west of Tehran, at the foothills of the Alborz...
, just north of Tehran. Another site reportedly has stated that Mousavi "was mentally and physically abused" in Evin prison
Evin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
. The site reported self-described witnesses as saying nothing about her death but that a person matching "her physical description and injuries" had been treated at the Imam Khomeini Hospital, but was unconscious both when witnessed and when later "transferred out of the hospital." On July 17 one the blogs reported that the day before, her family were informed "that a burned corpse matching Taraneh’s description had been found in the desert between Karaj and Qazvin," and that they should keep quiet about the incident. In the US, a Republican Senator publicized the incident in a speech on the Senate floor.
Controversy
Doubts have been raised as to the veracity of the story. Mehdi Jami of Newsbann first raised questions about the absence of any evidence of the story being true. This was then picked up on by QLineOrientalist, who argued that the story as presented by a clique of three bloggers with a "high degree of coordination between them" and was riddled by unresolvable internal contradictions. For example, the burned body was supposedly identified by a security official, but it is unclear how a burned body would have been identified as belonging to Taraneh Muslavi by people who, presumably, were not looking for her.The Islamic Republic came up with a video purporting to identify the real Taraneh Musavi. In this video, they claimed there were only 3 Taraneh Mousavi in Iran, which is absurd, and opposition came up with a list of other Taraneh Mousavis in Iran including a musician in a music band called "Orchide".