She mistakenly thought she was safe in the presence of police. But as soon as she was alone with them, two policemen in civilian clothing raped the 27 year-old graduate student for over an hour. To make matters worse, she was accused of committing indecent acts when she tried to speak out.
She is devastated by the incident, which occurred early last month, but she is defiant in making sure her rapists see justice. She says her openness will help other women afraid to speak out about being raped.
Ms, can you please introduce yourself?
She mistakenly thought she was safe in the presence of police. But as soon as she was alone with them, two policemen in civilian clothing raped the 27 year-old graduate student for over an hour. To make matters worse, she was accused of committing indecent acts when she tried to speak out.
She is devastated by the incident, which occurred early last month, but she is defiant in making sure her rapists see justice. She says her openness will help other women afraid to speak out about being raped.
Ms, can you please introduce yourself?
I certainly cannot reveal my true identity like everyone else; society won’t forget such incidents. I’m 27, and have a Master’s Degree in finance and I am about to prepare for my Ph.D. I’m unemployed and from a well-off and firmly connected family.
Could you tell us about the rape incident?
I was chatting with my fiancé in my car when suddenly a civilian car appeared and three men wearing civilian clothes came out. One of them approached my fiancé, identifying himself as a policeman and ordered him to step out. The other two also ordered me to step out and took me to their car. They asked for money in return for releasing us; otherwise, they would implicate us in a fabricated crime.
They took 40 Dinars (US $25), which were all what I had, and they asked for more, specifically 300 Dinars (US $191), so my fiancé went with one of them in my car to get the money from an ATM, while I remained with the other two.
I didn’t expect anything bad to happen given that I was among policemen, but what happened was outrageous; they raped me repeatedly for one and a quarter hours, during which time, I was unconscious and my mind was separated from my body in a moment when terror was mixed with pain and humiliation.
When then finished, they brought me back to my fiancé and left. I noticed that they were accustomed to committing such crimes because coordination among them was straightforward and I told that to the magistrate.
What happened next?
When they took me to my fiancé, he noted my agitation. At first, I told him nothing happened, as the police were still close, but then I hysterically burst into tears and told him what happened. He took me to hospital to prove the rape incident and thank God I was conscious and didn’t let them remove their traces, as they asked me to have a wash.
I also went to the nearest police station where rapists went. They were surprised when they saw me because they thought I would be afraid and wouldn’t complain. They and their colleagues at the station tried to put pressure on me and scare me to waive my right. Even the policeman who was recording my statements said: “You will get nothing from this. Drop it to preserve your honour.” And the other said: “Stop acting and drop it.”
It was three o’clock in the morning of the 4th of September and I spent a night and a day until 7 p.m. of the next day in the same place with the three policemen and their colleagues who pressured me to drop it.
You were prosecuted for committing indecent acts publicly and you turned from a plaintiff to a defendant. How did you accept that?
Whenever I hear insinuations that I’m guilty, I feel like I’ve been raped once again, like the statement made by the spokesman of the Ministry of Interior, Khaled Tarroush, who said I had been in an obscene situation, hinting that it had encouraged cops to rape me.
I tried to commit suicide when I heard this shocking statement. I expected those criminals would be criminalized and punished and that the Ministry of Interior would bear its responsibility but they have instead turned me into a wrongdoer and a defendant to escape punishment. I won’t rest until those rapists are punished.
How do you feel now?
I have had great and wonderful support by many Tunisians and civil society organizations. I felt reassured and a little peace of mind and I would thank all the lawyers who have stood by my side, all societies and organizations, and all those who believed in my innocence.
You were received by President Marzouki in Carthage Palace. What was your reaction?
I was very pleased by the President’s invitation, although it came a bit late. President Marzouki’s apology in the name of the state greatly rehabilitated me but frankly, I expected an official apology by the Minister of Justice, the judiciary and the Ministry of interior spokesman.
Do you mean the Tunisian judiciary is not independent?
Exactly. The proof is when the magistrate heard the statement made by my lawyer Radia Nasrawi on a satellite channel that a girl had called her and told her that she had been raped by two cops, he said to me: “I advise you to stay away from media and you are not allowed to publish the investigation information,” even though I didn’t disclose any information of the investigation.
Filing a complaint against me by the magistrate after hearing the Ministry of Interior’s statement is another such proof. Despite all that, I expect the law will do me justice and show the truth to all and that all those criminals will be punished for what they have done.
What was your family’s reaction?
My father doesn’t know but he suspects it. He once said: “If this raped girl is you, tell me, because I know well how corrupt the police in Tunisia are and I’ll be by your side.” But I denied it because he is old and sick and might not endure it.
When my mother knew, she was shocked and said in her first response: “I advise you to leave Tunisia and live abroad.”
My sisters are also by my side and support me. They are like a safety valve and an incentive that gives me power to go on. My older brother lives in Europe and knows nothing about it. He is short tempered and his reaction might be violent with me because I went out with my fiancé at night. He certainly wouldn’t accept it.
Were you humiliated during the investigation by policemen?
Yes, especially during the first days. I was morally humiliated since they severely pressured me to waive my right, and someone deliberately placed me close to the families of the accused to feel scared, but thank God they didn’t get to know my identity.
What is the message you want to communicate to authorities?
I have been physically and morally abused and it’s shameful that a media official says I’m guilty, to acquit criminals. I just want to say to them that we are now in Tunisia after the revolution of the youth who have brought you into power and it is your duty to preserve those youth and respect them, rather than rape them.
What is the message you wish to communicate to every girl who has been raped and is afraid of going to authorities?
There is no room for fear; disclosing would disturb her at first but after a while she would be comfortable, especially when criminals are punished. Besides, silence kills raped girls. I want to say to them that at the beginning I was defending myself only, but now I am defending all raped girls, and I’m even thinking of activities with some societies to communicate my point of view and help those girls.
What will you do in the future when this nightmare ends?
I will devote the rest of my life to two issues: continuing my studies to earn a Ph.D. and helping all associations and bodies that resist all abuses against human beings, especially raped women. My plight has taught me the importance of volunteer work; without associations and societies that have helped me, I would not find all this strength and determination for confrontation.
