Another Burning of a Woman by Her Husband

By RAWA reporter from Kabul

Seyyed Abdul-Rahman, a former resident of Ghazni and an aviation engineer, who works for the Intelligence Ministry of the Taliban in Kabul, had an argument with his wife, Salehah, on October 25, 1999. During the argument, he poured gasoline over her body and set her on fire. When neighbors found out about the fight, they entered his house and saw Salehah's burned body, with her hands and legs tied up. They immediately took her to the hospital. At the hospital, Salehah told the doctors and neighbors that her husband tied her up, after he beat her up, and then set fire to her. She died two days later at the hospital.

Her husband seized the opportunity caused by the confusion and ran away with his two children before her burial. He has not been heard of since then. Having been employed by the Taliban Intelligence, it is suspected that he is being sheltered by them.

Salehah Askarzadah, the daughter of retired Brigadier Seyyed Yaghub Khan from Chahardehi in Laghman, was born in 1972 in Kabul and had a bachelor's degree in economics. Before the Taliban take over, she worked at Export Development Bank. She married Abdul-Rahman three years ago and she had a son and an infant daughter from that marriage.

In Taliban-infested Afghanistan such atrocities happen daily to our distressed women, but they receive no coverage in the media, nor are there any officials who care to track down and prosecute the perpetrators of such heinous crimes. The Taliban, who are supposedly in charge of the "government," are so deeply corrupted and anti-woman minded that they are without peers anywhere else in the world.

Women-Burning Under Taliban Rule

Payam-e-Zan, No.51 June 1999

As another incident in the sequence of women burning, on Aug.27,1998 Rahela, daughter of Abdolsalam, was burned by his husband Adam Khan. One night Adam Khan, the father of three children by Rahela who was pregnant at the time, was beating up one of his children. Rahela intervened and wanted to prevent her husband from hitting the child. Adam Khan became angry and started another fight with Rahela the following morning and beat her up severely. Then, he poured some gasoline over her and set fire to her. Rahela died in the hospital two days later.

Adam Khan in being imprisoned by the Taliban for now, but people know well that he will be released after a few months, like Abdolali Kohdanak.

Salehah Askarzadah was born in 1972 in Kabul and had a bachelor's degree in economics. Before the Taliban takeover, she worked at Export Development Bank. She married Abdul-Rahman three years ago and had two children.

On October 25, 1999, Seyyed Abdul-Rahman, who works for the Intelligence Ministry of the Taliban in Kabul, had an argument with his wife, Salehah. During the argument, he poured gasoline over her body and set her on fire. The neighbors found Salehah's burned body, with her hands and legs tied up. They immediately took her to the hospital. At the hospital, Salehah told the doctors and neighbors that her husband beat her, tied her up, and then set fire to her. She died two days later at the hospital.

In the confusion, her husband ran away with the two children before her burial. He has not been heard of since. Having been employed by the Taliban Intelligence, it is suspected that he is being sheltered by them.

Women-Burning Under Taliban Rule

Payam-e-Zan, No.51 June 1999

On August 26,1998 Adam Khan was beating up one of his three children. His wife Rahela, pregnant with their fourth child, intervened to prevent her husband from hitting the child. Adam Khan became angry with Rahela and beat her severely. He poured gasoline over her and set fire to her. Rahela died in the hospital two days later.

Adam Khan was being imprisoned by the Taliban as of June 1999, but people expect that he will be released after a few months as others have been.