Meet Farkhunda Malikzada, 27 years old Afghan woman, a devout Muslim, a religious teacher in a mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan
Meet Farkhunda Malikzada, 27 years old Afghan woman, a devout Muslim, a religious teacher in a mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Farkhunda Malikzada, commonly referred to as Farkhunda, was a 27-year-old woman who was publicly lynched by a mob in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, on 19 March 2015. A large crowd formed in the streets around her claiming that she had burned the Quran, and for that, her accusers announced that she must be sent to Hell right away.
Farkhunda was beaten and killed after allegedly arguing with a mullah who falsely accused her of burning the Quran. Later police investigations revealed that she had not done so. Her murder led to 49 arrests; three men received twenty-year prison sentences, another eight men received 16-year sentences, a minor received a ten-year sentence, and eleven police officers received one-year prison terms for failing to protect her. Her murder and the subsequent protests served to draw attention to women's rights in Afghanistan. A memorial to her has been built in Kabul with support of the Solidarity Party of Afghanistan
Farkhunda had previously been arguing with the mullah Zainuddin in front of Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque where she worked as a religious teacher, about his practice of selling amulets. During this argument, Zainuddin reportedly accused her of burning the Quran. She responded
"I am a Muslim, and Muslims do not burn the Quran!
Hundreds of angry radicals flocked to the shrine upon overhearing the mullah's accusation. Police arrived and attempted to lead Farkhunda to a local precinct building one mile away, but she refused, asking for a female police officer to accompany her. The mob was able to drag Farkhunda away into the street where they knocked her to the ground and began beating and kicking her. More police arrived, firing warning shots into the air and temporarily dispersing the crowd. They moved her into the Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque in an attempt to shield her. As the crowd grew in size and rumors that she was working with Americans began circulating, the mob attempted to storm the shrine. Police hoisted her onto the roof of the building in an attempt to rescue her from the crowd, but Farkhunda, struck by stones and planks thrown by the mob, suddenly slipped and fell into the crowd.
The mob dragged Farkhunda into the street and beat and stomped her. She was bludgeoned with sticks and rocks outside the mosque, then placed into the road and run over with a car, dragging her body almost 100 m. Police offered no resistance, and directed traffic around the scene. The mob then dragged her body to the nearby bank of the Kabul River, took turns stoning her and set her on fire. Her body was soaked in blood and would not burn, so the crowd ripped off articles of their own clothing to ignite and maintain the fire. The mob shouted the Takbir during the lynching.
Farkhunda's parents said the killing was instigated by the mullah Farkhunda had been speaking to. According to Tolo News he loudly accused her of burning the Quran "in order to save his job and life." An eyewitness said that the mob was chanting anti-American and anti-democratic slogans while beating Farkhunda. The mob was captured on video accusing her of working with Americans, and of being a French embassy worker.
Of 49 suspects tried in the case, four men were originally sentenced to death for their roles in Farkhunda's lynching. The sentences were handed down by Judge Safiullah Mojadedi in Kabul on 5 May 2015. Eight other defendants were sentenced to 16 years in prison. The trial was noted for its unusual brevity, lasting just two days. The verdict has been criticized because although some investigators believe a fortuneteller set the attacks on Farkhunda in motion, this person was found not guilty on appeal. According to Judge Mojadedi, three suspects in the lynching were still at large at the time of the May 5 sentencing.
On 19 May 2015, eleven police officers including the local district police chief were sentenced to one year in prison for failing to protect Farkhunda.
On 2 July 2015, an appeals court overturned the capital punishment of the four men condemned in the lynching. Three of those had their sentences reduced to 20 years in jail, while the fourth was re-sentenced to 10 years prompting street protests and a debate on women's rights. The chief of police and a caretaker of the Shah-Do Shamshira shrine where the murder occurred were acquitted.
In August 2015, an examination of the outcome of the proceedings in the matter by a panel of lawyers appointed by President Ashraf Ghani resulted in a planned recommendation to the Supreme Court of Afghanistan that those accused in her death be retried.
On 19 March 2016, the Women's Political Participation Committee, an Afghan civil society organization, called for reevaluation of the Supreme Court's decisions with more transparency
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