Afghans bury woman beaten to death by mob

Body of Farkhunda was carried to the graveyard by women, a rare act of protest in a male-dominated society


Afp March 22, 2015
The body of Farkhunda, 27, who was lynched on Thursday by an angry mob in central Kabul, was carried to the graveyard by women amid crowds of men. PHOTO: AP

KABUL: Hundreds of people on Sunday attended the burial of an Afghan woman who was beaten to death and set on fire by a mob for allegedly burning a copy of the Holy Quran.

The body of Farkhunda, 27, who was lynched on Thursday by an angry mob in central Kabul, was carried to the graveyard by women amid crowds of men, an AFP reporter said, a rare act of protest in a male-dominated society.

The crowd, shouting "Allah o Akbar" (God is greatest), demanded the government bring the killers to justice.

"This is a crime against this family, a crime against a sister and a crime against humanity," said Bari Salam, a human rights activist.

"All those involved and all those who supported her killing should be brought to justice."

Read: Afghan mob lynches, burns woman to death in Kabul

Farkhunda's father told the media that his daughter had a diploma in Islamic studies and could recite the Holy Quran by heart. He insisted she was not involved in burning the Muslim holy book.

The lynching sparked widespread condemnation at home and worldwide.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the killing as "heinous" and ordered a commission to investigate the incident.

The United Nations also  condemned the lynching and said Farkhunda had "suffered mental illness for many years".

Police said they have arrested eleven people in connection with the incident.

In 2012 the revelation that copies of the Koran had been burnt at the US-run Bagram prison sparked five days of violent anti-US riots and attacks across the country, in which 30 people died.

COMMENTS (4)

Humanist | 9 years ago | Reply does violence and crimes against women do not happen in non-Islamic countries? you should check the facts. This is heartbreaking and indeed a condemnable act that should be brought to justice. Mob has no right to beat and kill someone for any reason at all. Besides, ET please correct spelling error in the last paragraph.
Sanan Khan | 9 years ago | Reply and they say, Islam is the religion who protect women, respect women. All this is happening in Islamic countries in the name of Islam. Come up with reason to justify the killing of one human being, a murder of life, slaughtering of dreams !! Convince us !!
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