WUNRN
AFGHANISTAN - WOMAN KILLED FOR
ESCAPING FORCED MARRIAGE - MULLAH CHARGED FOR ORDERING EXECUTION
Students demonstrating in
By Shapur Saber and Farangis Najibullah
October 11,
2013 - It's a young woman's story of true
love blocked by forced engagement, prompting a romantic nighttime escape with
her beloved.
This is the tale that played out in the Afghan
On the eve of her forced wedding, Halima escaped with her boyfriend only to be
tracked down days later and shot dead in a public execution.
The case led to a 17-year prison sentence against a local mullah seen in a
video ordering Halima's execution.
But now the mullah, 35-year-old Mawlavi Abdul-Qayum, is preparing an appeal, arguing
he has been left holding the bag while the real perpetrators of the crime run
free.
A New Life Together
Halima had been secretly dating a young man from
her neighborhood, but the girl's parents agreed that she would be married to
another man against her wishes.
The date was set for a June wedding, but Halima and her boyfriend had other
plans. They slipped out of the village to start a new life together someplace
else.
This was unacceptable to the parents of the groom to be, says Abdul-Qayum, who
demanded that he "punish the woman for running away with a stranger."
Punishment was delivered, as evidenced by a video of her trial and execution
that was handed over to the provincial Women's Affairs Department.
The video, viewed by an RFE/RL Radio Free Afghanistan correspondent in the
region, shows the mullah addressing a large crowd as a burqa-clad woman sits on
the ground with two men pointing guns at her.
Shortly after the mullah concludes his speech, the two men shoot the woman
several times as cries and chants of "God is great" ring out. While
the audio is barely audible, the authorities insist Abdul-Qayum denounced
Halima's deeds and ordered her execution.
The mullah, however, denies responsibility for the killing, and says he is
being made a "scapegoat" in the case.
"It was the family's decision [to punish her] but
now it is being blamed on a religious fatwa," Abdul-Qayum says.
"Several religious figures pointed out that this case should be referred
to the authorities. I also mentioned in my speech that a judge and government
should make the decision. People carried out this [killing] nevertheless. They
should answer for this."
As Badghis police continue to look for the two men who carried out the killing,
Abdul-Qayum is appealing to a higher court. He says a ruling is expected in a
few weeks.
Provincial Governor Ahmadullah Alizai stands by the original decision,
describing the mullah's trial and conviction as a "remarkable act to show
how we are committed to the elimination of violence against women."
Alizai has vowed to make sure everyone involved in this "extremely tragic
case" is brought to justice.
'Just And Correct'
And others familiar with Afghan law say the mullah's sentence is on firm legal
ground.
Nasrullah Stanikzai, a law professor at
"According to Islamic law as well as Afghan law, only the courts have the
right to try a person," Stankizai notes. "No one else has such
rights. When a court sentences someone to death, it has to go to two other
higher courts and then has to be approved and signed by the president before
the sentence is carried out. And then the sentence has to be carried out in a
prison facility, and not by a judge, or a mullah, or some other religious
figure."
Women's rights activists say violence against women is
widespread in
In this case, the fate of Halima's boyfriend remains unknown. Some villagers
say he managed to escape to a foreign country. Halima's parents were not
available for comment and local authorities say all the families involved have
been keeping a low profile since the tragic incident.