A woman has been stoned to death for attempting to escape a forced marriage in rural area of Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban.
The victim, identified only as Rokhshana, was accused of adultery after running away with another man from the western province of Ghor last week, according to Radio Free Europe.
A video allegedly showing the brutal killing has since been released, but has not yet been verified. In the 30-second clip, a group of men are seen throwing stones at a woman who is buried up to her neck in the ground. Amid her screams, the men are heard shouting "God is almighty".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Her death has sparked a global outcry but police in the region say there is little they can do. "The area is controlled by the Taliban," police chief Mustafa Mohseni told Al Jazeera. "The government will follow-up on the incident once the area comes under our authority."
Provincial governor Seema Joyenda, one of only two women to hold the position in the country, said that although stoning was now illegal in Afghanistan, such attacks were not uncommon. "This is the first incident in this area [this year] but will not be the last," she told the BBC.
Violence against women and the use of illegal Taliban courts remains rife in Afghanistan. Earlier this year, a young woman called Farkhunda was murdered and her body set on fire and thrown into a river by a mob of men who wrongly accused her of burning pages of the Koran.
-
Metaverse: Zuckerberg quits his virtual obsessionFeature The tech mogul’s vision for virtual worlds inhabited by millions of users was clearly a flop
-
Frank Gehry: the architect who made buildings flow like waterFeature The revered building master died at the age of 96
-
Is MAGA melting down?Today's Big Question Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, Laura Loomer and more are feuding
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
