Seven Men Sentenced To Death For Gunpoint Gang Rape Of Four Women

Afghanistan handed the death penalty to seven men on Sunday for raping and robbing a group of women returning from a wedding. This rare case of sexual assault has shaken the capital and raised concerns over public security at a time of transition. Police said a large group of men, some dressed
in police uniforms, and with assault rifles, stopped a convoy of cars in which the women and their families in just outside of Kabul in district of Paghman.

They dragged four women out of the cars in the middle of the night and raped them in the field near the main road. One of them was pregnant. The victims were also beaten and their jewellery and mobile phones stolen.

Judge Safihullah Mujadidi in a summary trial, televised nationwide, convicted the men of armed robbery and sexual assault. 'Based on criminal law these individuals are sentenced to the severest punishment which is death sentence,' he said.

The men stood before him in a heavily guarded courtroom. Outside dozens of activists gathered demanding speedy justice to instil public confidence in law and order. 'This kind of gang rape is unprecedented in Kabul,'  Kabul police chief General Zahir earlier said in his testimony seeking summary punishment for the men.

The assault has led to such outpouring of rage that President Hamid Karzai told a delegation of women last week that the perpetrators would face the death penalty. The men can appeal Sunday's verdict in a higher court. Karzai has to ratify the executions under Afghan law.

'If this act goes unpunished, the women of Afghanistan will continue to be victims,' said Uma Saeed, a rights activist. 'This is really very significant moment, I would say, even maybe in the history of Karzai's government.'