On July 25th, a "global day of action in unity with the people of Iran," I took part in an online project by artist and writers. I contributed an image and text to the website Panteas Roses entitled, "Stop the Rape."
I had been hearing stories about women demonstrators being raped before their executions, since it was against Islamic law to execute a virgin. I tracked the information back to an article in The Jerusalem Post (7/19/09) by reporter Sabina Amidi, which recounted an interview with a member of the Basiji militia.
That same weekend, I learned of a video posted on YouTube about the rape of a young Iranian demonstrator. The person who put it up apologized for the graphic and brutal footage, but defended his choice with a plea for help from the rest of the world.
On July 17, 2009, The National Council of Resistance of Iran headlined the story, "Iran:The burnt corpse of of female demonstrator found after a month of captivity." This is related to the practice of burning corpses post-rape/torture to cover up the crime.
Most of the people who responded to this information asked me why they hadn't heard anything about these incidents in the main stream media.
I didn't have an answer ... other than main stream media is not the only place to get news.
