Afghan men are due to be hanged on Wednesday for the gangrape of four women after a trial that was criticised by the United Nations and rights’ groups amid a nationwide outcry over the savage attack.
Then-president Hamid Karzai called for the men to be hanged even before their trial was held last month, and he signed their death sentences shortly before leaving office a week ago. The armed gang members, wearing police uniforms, stopped a convoy of cars returning to Kabul at night from a wedding in Paghman, a scenic spot near the capital popular with day-trippers.
The attackers tied up men in the group before raping at least four of the women and stealing valuables from their victims. They were found guilt at a nationally-televised trial that lasted only two hours, and the sentences were quickly confirmed by the appeals court and the Supreme Court.
“It is set to happen, unless there is a last-minute change in the decision,” Atta Mohammad Noori, chief of staff at the attorney general’s office.