Rape victim in Afghanistan, sentenced to 12 then 3 years in prison, pardoned and released but will still marry her rapist

Only in Islam are women treated this way. A commodity to be used as men see fit. Imagine having to marry your rapist in order to save your life and that of your child. Could you do it?

I reported on this a few weeks ago, here is an update.

From AFP/Yahoo December 2 by Usman Sharifi

Afghan rape victim freed from jail, to marry attacker

The Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered the release of a woman who was jailed for adultery after being raped -- but she now faces having to marry her attacker, officials said.

The move came after some 5,000 people signed a petition for the release of the woman, named Gulnaz, who has served two years in prison after a relative raped her at her home. She has been raising the child she had by her attacker in a prison cell in Kabul.

The case again highlights the poor state of women's rights inAfghanistan, 10 years after a US-led invasion ousted the Taliban who were notorious for their harsh laws against women.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan on Thursday, it emerged that a teenage girl and her family were sprayed with acid after apparently rejecting a marriage proposal for her.

Following the outcry over Gulnaz's case, Karzai called a meeting where judicial officials decided to pardon her, said presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi.

But the officials also said that Gulnaz should marry the man who attacked her, due to fears she could be in danger if released because of the stigma surrounding her attack in Afghanistan.

She consented to the union, Faizi said.

"She agreed to the marriage but only if his (the attacker's) sister marries Gulnaz's brother," the spokesman added, explaining that this was a way to try and ensure Gulnaz was not attacked by the man in future.

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