The EU commissioned a documentary film on women in Afghanistan who get shoved into prison for doing outrageous things like leaving abusive “husbands” they never wanted to marry in the first place. The documentary was duly made, at which point the EU got cold feet and said on second thought let’s put this documentary in a locked drawer and never think about it again.
The documentary told the story of a 19-year-old prisoner called Gulnaz.
After she was raped, she was charged with adultery. Her baby girl, born
following the rape, is serving her sentence with her.“At first my sentence was two years,” Gulnaz said, as her baby coughed in her
arms. “When I appealed it became 12 years. I didn’t do anything. Why should I be sentenced for so long?”
Or, for that matter, at all? Why not, rather, sentence the rapist? Now there’s a novel idea!
But don’t worry: there’s a happy ending for Gulnaz.
Gulnaz’s pardon may be in the works because she has agreed – after 18 months
of resisting – to marry her rapist.“I need my daughter to have a father,” she said.
Nothing to add.