Activists in Afghanistan protest woman’s killing

KABUL, Afghanistan – Hundreds marched Monday in the Afghan capital, demanding justice for a woman beaten to death last week by a Kabul mob over false allegations she had burned a Quran – a vicious killing that shocked many Afghans and renewed calls for authorities to ensure women’s rights to equality and protection from violence.

The killing also has drawn condemnation from Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani, who denounced it as a “heinous attack” and ordered an investigation.

On Thursday, a mob of men beat a 27-year-old religious scholar named Farkhunda to death.

Farkhunda, who like many Afghans had one name, was buried amid a huge public outcry Sunday.

Protesters who gathered Monday near the Shah Doshamshera mosque demanded the government prosecute all those responsible for the death.

Kabul’s police chief, Abdul Rahman Rahimi, said 18 people had been arrested and all had confessed to their role in Farkhunda’s death.