Iranian Ameneh Bahrami was 26 years old when her former university classmate, Majid Movahedi, threw acid in her face for rejecting his countless marriage proposals.
Because of the damage to her face, Bahrami underwent 17 operations, both in her country and abroad, but doctors were unable to restore her sight. She lost her vision in both eyes.
Iranian law of qisas, based on the principle of “an eye for an eye”, allows a victim to demand that their aggressor receive punishment equivalent to the harm suffered. So Bahrami asked that Movahedi also be blinded.
The court accepted her request: five drops of sulfuric acid in each of his eyes.
On July 31, 2011, after waiting nearly seven years, the sentence was ready to be carried out.
The punishment was being broadcast live on state television, but when the doctor was about to apply the acid, Bahrami said enough. Although she had the opportunity to take her aggressor’s sight, she chose forgiveness.
She explained that forgiving at the moment of greatest strength is worth more than revenge, and that nothing done to him would give her back what she had lost. Movahedi remained in prison awaiting an alternative punishment. Bahrami remained blind forever, but chose not to repeat the pain that had marked her.