Afghanistan: Imprisoned Rape Victim Freed

A woman sentenced to 12 years in prison after being raped by her relative in Afghanistan has been freed, according to CNN.

The woman, identified only as Gulnaz, gained international attention last week after President Hamid Karzai pardoned her for sex out of wedlock. The president's office also released a statement saying the woman had promised to marry her attacker, sparking international outcry.

Reuters reports that the 21-year-old woman gave birth to a child of the rape while imprisoned in Kabul. She was reportedly raped by her cousin's husband in 2009.

Gulnaz recounted that day in an interview with CNN:

"He had filthy clothes on as he does metal and construction work. When my mother went out, he came into my house and he closed doors and windows. I started screaming, but he shut me up by putting his hands on my mouth."

The Associated Press notes that around half of women imprisoned in Afghanistan have been convicted of "moral crimes," such as extramarital sex or fleeing their husbands.

Watch the video from CNN below.

Comments

[Yank in France]

09:37 AM on 12/31/2011

Here is a BREAKING NEWS STORY that should lift the spirits of rape victims everywhere. As you can see in the article below, at least one Afghan women has cut into rape where it courts!!

"Une femme afghane a coupé le sexe de son beau-père avec un couteau alors que celui-ci essayait de la violer, indique aujourd'hui une source médicale. "Son mari n'était pas à la maison. Un jour, le beau-père a essayé d'avoir une relation sexuelle avec elle. Sa bru lui a alors coupé le sexe avec un couteau", a raconté un médecin de la province de Ghazni (est). L'homme n'a pu être traité à Ghazni et a été transporté vers un hôpital de Kaboul, a précisé ce médecin, qui a requis l'anonymat…."

http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2011/12/31/97001-20111231FILWWW00295-elle-coupe-le-sexe-de-son-beau-pere.php

[RadioRhoda]

07:32 PM on 12/29/2011

And now Karzai is negotiating with the Taliban. We made so many mistakes when we went into Afghanistan. Among them? We should have armed the WOMEN.

[Yank in France]

09:42 AM on 12/31/2011

I agree, RadioRhoda, except I would say that our first mistake was backing the Islamic terrorists who fought the Soviet-backed regime in Kabul during the 1980s.

America thought it was clever by backing "our Islamists" but, as predicted by regional experts at the time, our Islamists were playing us for fools! So we got the Soviets out of Afghanistan in 1991 but got Afghan-based al-qaeda in NYC and Wash DC on September 11, 2011.

I still marvel at how the American political class never check back on their mistakes so as to avoid the same errors in the future!!

[amajid]

05:08 PM on 12/20/2011

This is a reply to Kaylee Burris: I agree with you Miss lady. You are an every intellegent person. You have a lovely day.

AMajid

[yakmon]

04:17 PM on 12/18/2011

History will repeat for those who don't learn from it..

"In a time when many regions were fighting for political domination, historians believe that leaders also used the trials as an expression of power, he explains. And, contrary to common belief, it wasn't just the Catholic Church that encouraged witch hunts. The Protestant Church was behind a significant number of trials."

Who shall we hunt today?

[amajid]

09:14 AM on 12/17/2011

This reply is to mathomps: It is why I am a smarter person, because English is no completion of the a mind. English came came from a society of people who live as thieves, rappist etc. English are words which have many other language words in it. Look in a English Dictionary and find many words that make up English. The English word War mean we are right, and it is another miss use English word. The world is following English and it will always be mislead. You must be another white US. Citizen believe you are right, and the ruler of the world. I went farther then what the English education taught in US. schools. The US. English Schools were misleading. You have a nice day good English speaking Citizen. It is why people think Obama is so smart. He is misleading also. Words of philosophy and no justification. I may not speak good English, but English do not make me smart. I will say English did not keep me alive in the Vietnam. It was my understanding of the world.

AMajid

[rrh353]

12:00 AM on 12/19/2011

What in the world are you talking about?

[Mya Symons]

01:59 PM on 12/16/2011

You know if there was a society where people openly had slaves we would be outraged. Yet, when you say something about the way men in some middle eastern cultures treat women then you are not politically correct. This is no different than having slaves. The slaves just happen to be women. Ofcourse I do not think all Middle Eastern men treat women that way. But, in Afghanistan it must be the majority or things would be different. And it doesn't seem like there are a lot of men stepping up and fighting for change.

I have no respect for the men of Afghanistan or similar countries because of the way they treat women. It seems like a country full of insecure men. Call me prejudice if you want I don't care. The way these women are treated is ridiculous.

[Madison Glaser]

02:22 PM on 12/16/2011

In a culture where it is passed down, it takes a lot of time for it to finally end in terms of being "acceptable" versus "deplorable" Is it really a culture associated with specific people, or just poor nations? I think the lack of economic boom, leaves large regions thinking in the old ways...a booming economic region lifts all boats and raises awareness, the social "status" of all. Look at the oil bearing nations. Women are voting, driving and hopefully, will have equal say and equal rights in all things.

[Mya Symons]

03:23 PM on 12/16/2011

I think it can be just the opposite actually. If you live in a country where religion , custon, culture etc. does not allow women to work or use birthcontrol that country will be poor. There are too many mouths to feed on one income. If you change your thinking, then the prosperity comes.

Frankly, I don't care what the reason is. This is slavery and it is wrong to treat any human being this way. No excuse is a good enough excuse.

[Pema]

03:41 PM on 12/16/2011

women in the usa still make 78 cent to a dollar for a man. things are still not equal. :(

[Foodgrade]

10:31 PM on 12/16/2011

Fanned. But I have no respect for western politicians - men - who look the other way for corporate profit.

[Tazirai]

01:29 AM on 12/16/2011

Religion ... who needs it.

I guess alot of people do. Too bad they need/ and others need to use it as a crutch to impose their will on others... again, who needs it.. meh.

[Pema]

03:42 PM on 12/16/2011

i dont think everyone in relgion is as you say , imo we have some good and some bad as in all things.

[Foodgrade]

10:43 PM on 12/16/2011

There are people in religions for many reasons. Some need the structure for many reasons. Some have been tramatized, some are not so bright and need direction, there are many reasons and religions, for the most part are a benefit to society. The problems come when men, usually men, have a selfish agenda and ill will. Then they hide behind the religion for personal profit and power. The millions of people that you don't hear from, from any religion, simply want to do the right thing, raise their children in a good environment and have some personal pease when they can. It's agenda and the mixture of religion and state that causes the death and destruction. Most of the people on the planet have no idea what's going on. They just suffer from the results of agenda and ill will. This ill will can be attached to any structure, not just religion, and it is. Sierra Club is moribund, local groups fall to agenda, environtmental groups infight over funding, the Universities are total pawns to corporations.

Better to seek to understand, and locate the root cause. The root cause is the old determination that corporations are persons. Financial interests have used religions to cause death and destruction for profit for thousands of years.

[moflard]

12:12 AM on 12/16/2011

Oh what a great system. She gets out of jail because she's pardoned (which implies she's still guilty of a crime) and then is "rewarded" by being imprisoned with her abuser for the rest of her life. Anyone calling for this nonsense to be imported into the West should be expelled forthwith no matter where they were born.

[Pema]

03:43 PM on 12/16/2011

no one has called for it.

[witty]

07:46 PM on 12/16/2011

Yes they have. There are several incidences of people trying to implement Sharia as law in the US.

[moflard]

01:03 AM on 12/17/2011

Actually there have been calls for this type of thing, my experience is in the UK. Now limited sharia, as does exist alongside the English legal system in the UK, is one thing, but this type of thing, this extreme interpretation, is another.

[AnathTheGoddess]

09:05 PM on 12/15/2011

So Muslims are the only religion that does this now??? Hate to burst your bubble but is occurs in many other countries by other religions. There are three African nations where this happens all the time. First one is Kenya where it is a common practice among the Kiisi ethnic group and the Turkana tribe who are a monotheistic people...they believe in one God called Akuj. Next is Ethiopia of which about 63% are Christians and about 34% are Muslims. Last but not least is Rwanda where 93.6% are Christians and only 4.6% Muslims. There are reports of this happening in China (59% no religion with only about 23% listed as Buddhists, Taoists, or folk religions) , Mexico(92% Christian), Cameroon (2/3 Christian & 1/5 Muslim), Guatemala (99% Christian), and Nigeria (50% Muslim & 48% Christian). So show me now the righteous indignation over those Christian countries who do the same thing.

[Mya Symons]

02:03 PM on 12/16/2011

You are right. I can't speak for others, but I feel the same way about men in other countries and other religions who treat women this way. It's all about insecurity and power and it is ridiculous.

[Pema]

03:45 PM on 12/16/2011

love the micro bio. thanks for such an informative post. it was very enightening!

[moyramartin]

08:13 PM on 12/15/2011

If her rapist is already married, how can she marry him? Do they allow that over there?

[mathomps]

09:26 PM on 12/15/2011

Yes.

[Pema]

03:46 PM on 12/16/2011

i do know they allow it here. that show sister wives.

[REDSTATEREFUGEE]

07:54 PM on 12/15/2011

.....and this is the country that our soldiers and Marines are risking their lives and limbs for? Mr. Obama, inform Karzai that, just like Iraq, we will be withdrawing all combat forces by the end of December 2012. Enough is enough....

[Pema]

03:49 PM on 12/16/2011

we went to stop the taliban and because of a pipeline, we are still there because of some damned pipeline from russia.
i dont see it as any place for any of our troops to be there. bring em home. my bbfs son in law is there. her daughter is also in the me but in qutar (i am sure i mis spelled that! sorry)

[REDSTATEREFUGEE]

05:20 PM on 12/16/2011

I hope that your loved ones return to the States safely. I witnessed almost a thousand Vietnam casualties when I was a young man ( many moons ago ! ) , and I am not anxious to see anymore American blood spilled for questionable adventures.

I am still seeing wounded soldiers and Marines in my classrooms, which distresses me....

[hvsmrspct]

07:24 PM on 12/15/2011

I am posting this brand new, hot off the presses article so that all of those who have been attacking Islam, Muslims, and the cultures of the middle east due to this single story can take a moment to reflect on the fact that -

- it ain't just "them"!

[hvsmrspct]

07:59 PM on 12/15/2011

Oops, forgot the link. Ol well, here it goes:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/15/domestic-violence-survey_n_1150158.html

[mathomps]

09:31 PM on 12/15/2011

In response to that article: Yeh, and i've been slapped by one or two women in my life. I'm a victim of female abuse like probably the majority of men at least once in their lives. What's your point?? Do we force rape victims to go to jail for a decade because they had sex against their will and then force them into polygamist relationships with their rapist as a rule of law!?! Jeeezzz, get real!!

[Pema]

03:56 PM on 12/16/2011

if i could fan ya again i would.. have a great holiday!

[AnathTheGoddess]

09:13 PM on 12/15/2011

I tried a similar argument. They said it's not the same as these victims aren't forced to marry their rapists afterward. They ignored the argument about how married women are raped by their spouses. This included married, separated, divorced, etc. They argued we prosecute, but those convicted don't serve long enough and some even end up killing the rape victim. They don't get that it has very little to do with the religion...they use that as their excuse. If it wasn't the religion, they would just find another excuse, another religion to "allow them" to abuse women.

[hvsmrspct]

09:36 PM on 12/15/2011

It is unfortunate that the views that "we can't possibly be bad", "we don't do evil in the world 'they' do" and "we're the good guys" always blocks the paths to reasoning.

Basically it is a tribal argument, us against them.

I do find it unfortunate, however, that they blame a religion as though rape, only blaming the woman, gender discrimination or forced marriages are justified by the religion. It is just another reason to feel good about themselves and attack the "other".

[geoh777]

06:59 PM on 12/15/2011

"The president's office also released a statement saying the woman had promised to marry her attacker... ." Oh. That's good. So he can beat her every day until he finally kills her in an "honor killing."

[Moonshadow5]

06:40 PM on 12/15/2011

Actions such as the forcing of a victim to marry her attacker keep the world hating Islam and Muslims. The leaders of the Islamic community should rethink and reinterpret the old laws to encompass MERCY, FORGIVENESS, and LOVE. Allah cases EVERYTHING to GROW and ADAPT to remain viable and alive. So too, the old, cruel laws of thousands of years ago are no longer suited to the better place in consciousness humanity is attaining.

[BG-back]

05:57 AM on 12/16/2011

I can imagine this age old decree was passed, way back then, to discourage rape in the first place. Would it not be a deterrent if you had to marry and support the person you actually had these vile intentions towards?

Though society then is not like society today, and such things should go through a process of change. That said, and considering this punishment is not the case in every Muslim country, some countries have stuck to these age old decrees given their tribal nature. A tribal culture much akin to the times of old.

[Moonshadow5]

06:35 PM on 12/15/2011

When are the intelligent Afgan people going to update laws that penalize victims? This sort of abuse of victims is not only horrendous and unjust, it was NEVER appropriate. Also, she should NOT be forced to marry the very felon who attacked her. It's MONSTROUS!!

[BG-back]

05:58 AM on 12/16/2011

Agreed