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Blinded by Acid Attack, Woman Wants Eye for an Eye Punishment
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by Tina Kells | February 20, 2009 at 10:54 am
1909 views | 6 Recommendations | 7 comments
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An Iraqi woman who was blinded and disfigured in a horrific acid attack in 2004 by a man who had been stalking her has asked the courts to impose a rare, and some say severe, eye for an eye punishment for her attacker.
Ameneh Bahrami, 31, asked the courts to impose the in-kind punishment of blinding by acid on Majid Movahedi, her admitted attacker, and the courts agreed.
Last week Movahedi lost his final appeal to have the blinding sentence set aside and he could have his eyes burned out with acid drops within the next few weeks. The eye for an eye punishment is in accordance with Islamic law but is not often used.
Most victims of similar crimes choose "blood money" monetary compensation instead but Bahrami wants to make a statement and protect other women from suffering as she has.
Movahedi turned himself in to police and confessed in court. He was convicted in 2005 and has been behind bars all along.Bahrami's lawyer, Ali Sarrafi, said Movahedi had never shown any remorse. "He says he did it because he loved her," Sarrafi said.
Attack victims in Iran usually accept "blood money": a fine in lieu of harsh punishment. With no insurance and mounting medical bills, Bahrami could've used the cash, but she said no.
"I told the judge I want an eye for an eye," Bahrami said. "People like him should be made to feel my suffering."
Watch how the acid destroyed Bahrami's eyes (includes graphic content) »
Bahrami's demand has outraged some human rights activists. Criticizing acid-attack victims is almost unheard of, but some Internet bloggers have condemned Bahrami's decision.
"We cannot condone such cruel punishment," wrote one blogger. "To willingly inflict the same treatment on a person under court order is a violation of human rights."
Late last year, an Iranian court gave Bahrami what she asked for. It sentenced Movahedi to be blinded with drops of acid in each eye. This month, the courts rejected Movahedi's appeal.
Bahrami's lawyer, Sarrafi, said the sentencing might be carried out in a matter of weeks. He said he doesn't think Bahrami will change her mind. Neither does Bahrami.
The details of the assault are every bit as horrific as the proposed punishment but human right's activists are focused on saving Majid Movahedi's sight regardless of his crime. The blinding-by-acid punishment is being criticized as much too severe and archaic, nothing more than revenge from the victim.
Ameneh Bahrami disagrees with critics of the punishment and says that she is motivated by prevention not retribution. She believes that in pushing for the most severe punishment allowed by law a clear message will be sent to others who may decide to act out against romantic rejection in such a violent manner.
She was a 24-year-old electronics student. He was 19. She never noticed him until they shared a class. He sat next to her one day and brushed up against her. Bahrami says she knew it wasn't an accident.
"I moved away from him," she said, "but he brushed up against me again."
When Bahrami stood up in class and screamed for him to stop, Movahedi just looked at her in stunned silence. He wouldn't stay silent for long.
Bahrami said that over the next two years, Movahedi kept harassing her and making threats, even as he asked her to marry him. "He told me he would kill me. He said, 'You have to say yes.' "
On a November afternoon in 2004, Movahedi's threats turned to violence.
That day at 4:30 p.m., Bahrami left the medical engineering company where she worked. As she walked to the bus stop, she remembers sensing someone behind her.
She turned around and was startled to see Movahedi. A moment later came the agonizing pain. Movahedi had thrown something over her. What felt like fire on her face was acid searing through her skin.
"I was just yelling, 'I'm burning! I'm burning! For God's sake, somebody help me!' "
The acid seeped into Bahrami's eyes and streamed down her face and into her mouth. When she covered her face with her hands, streaks of acid ran down her fingers and onto her forearms.
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Tina Kells
Vancouver, Canada
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (7)
at 14:52 on February 20th, 2009
Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth - a good deterrent in this day and age of easy going court hearings and fines, etc.
at 18:01 on February 20th, 2009
Wow - I say do it - he did it to her and he meant to hurt her so he deserves what is coming to him in my opinion
at 10:35 on February 23rd, 2009
Incredible. Now I appreciate that eye for eye punishments are illegal in North America and most developed countries. Revenging by doing as much evil as was done in first place just seems wrong.
at 13:33 on February 25th, 2009
I'm normally against such cruel punishments, but the thought of this guy getting acid in his eyes isn't bothering me much. Sucks to be him.
at 13:43 on March 4th, 2009
Updated Mar. 4, '09
From AP News via Yahoo:
Oh well. Sad that the punishment will never fit the crime in places like Iran.
at 12:47 on March 9th, 2009
5words: "You reap what you sow!" Even though, doing that to another human being is harsh...however, remember this question? If you had everything going for yourself; good job, beautiful face, nice eyes, etc...and one day, someone takes it all away from you!!! HOW WOULD YOU FEEL??? Its not like she is ending his life, like he almost did hers, but she is just showing him how she felt...and to not repeat the same mistake to someone else.
at 11:44 on July 20th, 2009
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind" - Mahathma Ghandi