Pakistani filmmaker Jami Mahmood has come forward on Twitter with his own #MeToo account from 13 years ago.
On Sunday night, the director sent out a series of tweets in which he shared that the reason he’s been supporting the movement is because he’s also a rape survivor.
“I was brutally raped by a very powerful person in our media world. A giant actually. And yes, I’m taller than him but I froze, not sure why. Yes, it really happens and happened to me,” he wrote.
“I was so close to this guy a friend, doing his mega shoots for his mega high-end books and museum launches etc maybe that’s why my system shut down…or I couldn’t believe WTF is going on.”
He went on to say how he confided in a few friends from the media and no one took him seriously or did anything. He revealed that he spent six months or so in Aga Khan with a therapist, was put on Xanax and eventually left the country for a few months to reboot. He also said the perpetrator attended his dad’s funeral robbing him of the chance to mourn his father in peace.
“Till this day, I don’t have the courage to come out and name him. It’s super tough,” he added.
“I’m writing this now because #MeToo is under attack and I’m ready to partially vomit out my own experience. It’s all true what the victims say and how they say or hide. It’s all an exact same pattern a victim goes through, like clockwork as if DNA has a SOS gene to shut up or they all will rip you apart in society.”
Addressing the recent case of a college professor committing suicide on alleged false claims of harassment, Jami says, “One wrongful death doesn’t mean all victims are fake and liars. I’m pissed that they are attacking the movement and victims so I’m coming here today after 13 or so years to say 99.99% survivors are telling the truth always. No doubt ever!”
He concluded with: “Ask Mukhtara Mai how it feels when the system doesn’t see a gang rape or victim or evidence or after conviction, lets go the convicts. We find one sad case and that too has university admin fault partially for stalling the clearance process. System failed him too. Truth! Stand for all victims all the time and it will be fixed. Selective activism is unjust.”
