Afghanistan

Supreme Court Reversed Woman’s Torture Case in Afghanistan

A case of three Afghans who were jailed for torturing a girl has been reversed by the Afghan Supreme Court. Sahar Gul was sold for $5,000 to a 30 years old man New York Times said . She was forced to marry in 2011 in her 13 or 14 years of age. As a result, she refused the marriage and she had locked in the basement. She refused to be a prostitute in 2011.

She was found in the dark corner of cellar with severe injury in December 2011. The Supreme Court convicted Gul’s in-laws last year and sentenced them to 10 years in jail. After the Supreme Court send the case to an appeals court, the court overturned the in-laws’ convictions. The mother and sister-in-law were released on Monday. It is unclear if the father was also released.

Women’s and human rights activists are outraged over the court’s decision. Manizha Naderi, the executive of Women for Afghan Women said to New York Times “this poor girl was in the basement for months, if she was not rescued, she would be dead. She was starved and burned and had her fingernails pulled out. How is this not attempted murder?”

The court ruling comes few months after the Afghan Parliament delayed a vote on the Elimination of Violence against Women law after two hours of vociferous debate between conservative religious and more liberal members of Parliament. The Speaker did not specify when the measure would be placed on the floor for a vote again.

Sources:

New York Times 7/3/2013; Feminist Newswire 5/22/2013

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