Overview for Into the Mirror: The Untold Story of Mukhtar Mai
In 2002, the world erupted in condemnation of an alleged gang-rape of a Pakistani village woman, reportedly on the orders of an informal tribal council, to atone for a crime her teenage brother was accused of. Before any investigation, the Pakistan government paid the woman more than 8000 dollars in compensation and fast-tracked her trial. Within three months of the incident, six men were sentenced to hang. The High court later acquitted five of the men and upheld the conviction of one. But as worldwide wrath again engulfed Pakistan, they were thrown back into jail three days later. Eight other freed at the original trial were also sought out and imprisoned. More than five years since the alleged crime, 13 men acquitted by the courts remain behind bars. The 14th man in jail is the only one who had been found guilty. For the first time, the evidence underlying the case that shook the world is scrutinized by Pakistan-based journalist Bronwyn Curran, one of the first to report on the alleged gang-rape when the compelling tale first emerged. Into The Mirror explores the ways of the tribes as it weaves through Pakistan.
Bronwyn Curran (Author)
Bronwyn Curran was born in Sydney, Australia and studied Arts at the University of Sydney and communications at Charles Sturt University. She began her journalism career in 1991 and in 1995 joined the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as a radio journalist. In 1999 she became a correspondent for the Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency in Jakarta, Indonesia. She was then appointed AFP's news editor for Afghanistan and Pakistan based in Islamabad in 2002. since 2005 Bronwyn has worked as a spokesperson for United Nations-supported elections in Afghanistan and a media consultant for UNICEF and the Asian Development Bank.
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