Rapists Freed in Afghanistan to be Investigated

There will be a full investigation into the case of two convicted rapists who were given a pardon by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in May. The victim, Sara, discovered that the men had been released from prison when she they saw them walking in their village and she has since been forced into hiding with her husband, Dilawar, according to BBC News.

In 2005, Sara was brutally gang-raped, knifed with a bayonet in her private parts, and left to walk home half-naked after she and her husband publicly spoke out about their missing son, who had been forcibly taken by armed men, according to The Independent. Three rapists were sentenced to 11 years in prison, a sentence that was upheld by Afghanistan's Supreme Court.

Norah Niland, Chief Human Rights Officer of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a press release, "while there appears to be conflicting reports on the circumstances of the release of these prisoners, whatever the circumstances, this is clearly an injustice against the victim, the victims' family and all Afghan women. Such injustice can only promote a culture of impunity for violence perpetrated against women."

Media Resources: BBC News 8/27/08; The Independent 8/24/08; Statement of Norah Niland 8/26/08

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