Investigators: Woman Beaten to Death After Burning Koran Was Actually Innocent
According to Afghan investigators, a woman who was beaten to death, her body set on fire and thrown in a river, for allegedly burning the Quran was wrong accused, reports the Associated Press.
Farkhunda, as she is known, 27, was killed on Thursday by a mob of mostly men. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called it a “heinous attack.” 13 people have been arrested, including eight police officers who apparently were negligent in helping stop the attack. This, Ghani said, is a “fundamental issue” in Afghanistan, where police officers are too focused on fighting the Taliban than they are on basic policing.
Prominent Afghan officials justified her killing based on the accusations that she burned the Quran, but Mohammad Zahir, the nation’s chief criminal investigator, said there isn’t any evidence to support that.
“We have reviewed all the evidence and have been unable to find any single iota of evidence to support claims that she had burned a Qur’an,” Zahir said, according to the AP. “She is completely innocent.”
Farkhunda, who may have suffered from a mental illness, was reportedly close to graduating from an Islamic studies program to become a teacher.
Afghan women break tradition to carry coffin of #Farkhunda, who was killed & torched by a mob http://t.co/8rEYAUlyZs pic.twitter.com/jCGRp7cmAc
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 22, 2015
Afghan women break tradition & carry coffin of Farkhunda, woman lynched over (dubious) allegations of burning Koran. pic.twitter.com/u3MhB2rfzA
— Arash Karami (@thekarami) March 22, 2015
PHOTO: Rights activists carry the coffin of 27-year-old Farkhunda, an Afghan woman beaten to death by a mob: http://t.co/6Uq0EX4Swz
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 22, 2015
The mullah from Wazir mosque who did not stand up for Farkhunda was here, but chased away by angry family and friends pic.twitter.com/cshVnlllPU
— Courtney (@courtneybody) March 22, 2015
[h/t Gawker]
[Image via screengrab]
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