– Stone age values have no place in this modern world. Women are the equals of men and men and women have the right to choose their beliefs. I’m pretty liberal but if you want to push me beyond those two statements you are going to find it tough going.
= = = = = = = = = = =
Their crime was falling in love. Their punishment: death by firing squad. Bound and blindfolded, a young couple were shot at close range in southern Afghanistan – for daring to elope.
Abdul Aziz was 21 years old. The girl he ran off with was just 19. Her name, Gul Pecha, means flower.
Officials said the pair were tried by a Taleban court, found guilty of “immoral acts” and sentenced to death. The Taleban denied involvement.
Administrators say the couple’s parents were complicit in their fate. But that has not been confirmed.
Gul and Abdul were both from Lukhi village, in Nimroz province. Their home district borders Helmand, where a large number of Western troops are based.
They were gunned down, together, on Tuesday. Witnesses said they were shot in front of a local mob by men with AK47 assault rifles.
“They had fled their homes to the neighbouring village, because their parents refused to let them marry,” said Nimroz’s Governor, Ghullam Dastagir Azad. “Their parents tracked them down and handed them over to the Taleban.”
More… ➡