fghan Woman's Ears & Nose Amputated
'Dishonoured' 2nd Wife Violated on Islamic Ritual of Sacrifice
By
Abdulhadi Hairan December 25th, 2007 - 09:40 am PT
Qalat: A man named Mumtaz in the southern Zabul province of Afghanistan first shaved his wife Nazia’s head and then cut off her ears and nose and damaged her teeth on the first day of Eid ul Adha, an Islamic ritual of sacrifice.
Hospital sources in Qalat said Nazia, 17, was admitted on Wednesday (First day of Eid) evening and now she is in a critical condition due to the severe beating. Provincial Police Chief of Zabul, Gen. Mohammad Yaqub Khan, when contacted, confirmed this brutal incident and confessed that the police were still unable to find the man to arrest him as he disappeared shortly after.
The culprit's brother is a police officer currently under investigation. According to a resident of the area, the husband and wife recently moved to Zabul from eastern Paktiya province.
The abused woman Nazia, lying on her hospital bed and uncertain about her future, said her husband, twice her age, had suspicions about her behaviour. She added "I swore to him many times that I was faithful to him, but he did not believe. He beat me. A few days before Eid, he shaved my head and beat me severely. On the first day of the Eid, he cut my ears, then my nose, then damaged my teeth and beat me until my hands and legs were broken. I was his second wife. He killed his first wife."
A report of
BBCPashto adds that many women in Zabul province protested on Saturday against this brutal act and demanded his immediate arrest. "We condemn this and we declare it the worst violation against the women," said a protester.
Fauzia Younasi, the Provincial Director of the Women's Department has visited the hospital and shown her concern. She ordered the doctors to do their best to save her life. "She has suffered so much, she is beaten severely, her ears and nose are cut off, her teeth are damaged so she can't speak," she told media.
Residents of the area said Nazia had been married for a year. Violations of human rights, especially in the southern and eastern provinces, are still common. "Legal reforms designed to protect women are not implemented and women continue to be detained for breaching social mores. There has been a rise in cases of 'honour' killings and self-immolation by women," says
Amnesty International 2007 Report on Afghanistan.