Deadly: Afghan woman is shot dead by her own father

An Afghan woman has been shot dead by her own father in front of a mob of 300 after she was accused of dishonouring her family by running away from her husband.

The victim, known only as Halima, was aged between 18 to 20 and had two children, according to Amnesty International.

She had eloped with a male cousin while her husband was in Iran. But ten days later he returned her to her family in Kookchaheel, in the Aabkamari district of the north-western Badghis province.

Her father sought the advice of village elders and three of them issued a fatwa ordering that Halima be publicly executed.

She was shot dead on April 22. It is not known what has happened to her cousin, who has not been identified.

Her father and the three elders, who are all allegedly linked to the Taliban, have gone into hiding 

Amnesty International’s Afghanistan researcher Horia Mosadiq said: ‘The deeply shocking practice of women being subjected to violent “punishments”, including killing, publicly or privately, must end.

‘The authorities across Afghanistan must ensure that perpetrators of violence against women are brought to justice.

‘Violence against women continues to be endemic in Afghanistan and those responsible very rarely face justice.

            Plight: Honour killings are a common occurrence in Afghanistan where many women struggle to obtain the most basic rights