CONTACT: Amanda Simon, 212-633-4162; [email protected]
(NEW YORK, NY) According to news reports, a suspect is in custody in connection with the rape and attempted murder of a three-year-old girl in Takhar province in Afghanistan. Amnesty International USA executive director Steven W. Hawkins issued this statement:
“This young girl and her family deserve justice for this appalling crime. We urge the authorities in Afghanistan to provide the necessary medical and psychological support, and to ensure that those responsible for this crime are held accountable in a court of law without recourse to the death penalty.”