Wednesday, June 15, 2005

I guess making her disappear didn't make us forget her.

Pakistan gang-rape victim free to go abroad

I don't know if you've been following this case at all. Mukhtaran Mai was gang raped on the orders of a traditional village council. Her "crime"? Well, she didn't have one. Supposedly her 12 year old brother became friends with woman from another tribe, and that powerfully offended the honor of the tribal leader.
So the tribal elders ordered that 12 men rape Mukhtaran Mai. And lets be very clear. They were allowed to get away with this. They were arrested and jailed later, but have subsequently been freed from jail.
Late last week Mai was placed under armed house arrest. Earlier this week, her contact with the outside world was cut off. And she was placed on a list of people banned from traveling out of the country.
Today that restriction has been removed.
By the way, why was she put on the list? She's "tarnishing the country's image abroad."
So says Chimpy's good friend, General Pervez Musharraf. What's that you say, he's not a General? Well, he sure was when he lead the coup that put him into power.
This is a horrible, disgraceful episode. The one person who is not guilty of anything is being treated as a criminal. And the people responsible are being treated as some sort of martys. I am so disgusted by this. I hope she leaves Pakistan and speaks out. And out and out and out.

2 comments:

shayera said...

Actually, t, she was not being allowed to leave Pakistan to go abroad to speak about her experiences.
I don't think she has any plans of moving away from the country.
But she should be able to go where ever she likes to talk.

I'm a firm believer in staying and fighting. Someone doesn't like it. Too bad. I'm even more sure to stay and shoving it in their face. Not literally.

shayera said...

well, they tried to disappear her last week. but it didn't work.
i really don't know what the answer is.

and this isn't even unusual. i read a news story yesterday about a woman, raped by her father in law now being forced to marry him. and she's not a widow. she has to leave her husband and children, be "cleansed and purified" and then marry her rapist, her father in law.