Marzieh Ebrahimi

Marzieh Ebrahimi

Marzieh Ebrahimi 120cm x 100cm Acrylic on Canvas

“Acid is out there to eliminate you from life. The acid attacker wants to tell you that you cannot fall in love, become a mother, work, and stay in the society. The acid attacker wants to tell you that from now on, anyone who sees you will not like you. But I turned a deaf ear to all these words. I told everybody that I do not want to be, and I am not a victim.ˮ

„Säure existiert, um dich aus dem Leben zu entfernen. Mit einem Säureangriff möchte man dir sagen, dass du dich nicht verlieben oder dass du keine Mutter sein sollst. Du sollst nicht arbeiten oder an der Gesellschaft teilnehmen können. Menschen, die so etwas tun, wollen damit bezwecken, dass dich von nun an jeder hasst und sich von dir abwendet. Aber ich lasse all das nicht zu. Ich beweise allen, dass ich kein Opfer sein möchte und dass ich kein Opfer bin.“

اسید وجود داره تا زندگیتو نابود کنه. اسیدپاش ها می‌خوان بهت بگن نمی تونی عاشق بشی، مادر بشی، کار کنی یا در جامعه باشی. اسیدپاش ها می‌خوان بهت ثابت کنن که از الان به بعد هرکسی که تورو می بینه از تو بدش میاد. اما من نشنیده گرفتم تمام این حرفارو. من به همه گفتم که نمی‌خوام این باشم و نمی‌خوام یک قربانی باشم.

The Iranian Marzieh Ebrahimi is a survivor of the acid attacks that targeted women in Isfahan in 2014. Back then, the attacks were always the same: the perpetrators meander through the slow traffic on a motorcycle and look into the slowly moving cars. If a woman sits behind the wheel with the window open, they pour acid on her face and disappear into the traffic chaos. When Marzieh Ebrahimi looked in the rear-view mirror while parking, her life changed forever. The acid burns the left side of her face, neck, and hands. The eye of the 25 year old cannot be saved. But after a few months of social isolation, the former midwife no longer wants to be a victim. She wants to raise her voice for all those who are unable to do so themselves. In 2018 she was photographed by the photographer Negar Masoudi in order to go public with her story and demand stricter laws. After the photo exhibition in Tehran, Marzieh Ebrahimi and three other victims, whose attackers were never caught, visited the Members of Parliament and asked them personally for support. On May 20, 2019, the Iranian parliament passed a revised draft law that provides for longer prison sentences for perpetrators and compensation for victims.