Mahsa, a defected member of the PAK party, spoke about the torture and indignities that she and other members experienced within the party in an eight-minute video recorded at her home. Mahsa’s face has been covered to protect her life and the lives of her family, and her voice has been modified. Her name is also a pseudonym to guarantee her safety.
In this conversation, Mahsa narrates for the first time instances of assault and abuse by the leader of the PAK party against women. These revelations have never been published with such transparency before. The original version of the video is held by the Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch (IKHRW) and can be made available to researchers and legal experts if necessary, with full respect for privacy.
In this interview, Mahsa also emphasized her desire to move on with her life and protect her safety. At the time the video was recorded, she was married and pregnant, yet despite the difficult circumstances, she courageously agreed to recount her experiences of violence and human rights violations inside the PAK party.
This video provides a documented insight into the experiences of individuals inside armed parties, and Mahsa’s voice as a survivor enables the international community and human rights organizations to examine the human and legal dimensions of this issue.
