Afghanistan’s president ordered his Ministry of Interior Friday to launch a full investigation into the violent killing and burning of a woman accused of setting pages of a Quran on fire.
A statement from the office of President Ashraf Ghani read: “No individual is allowed to make oneself a judge and use violence to punish others in degrading manners.”
The statement also made clear that ensuring justice was the “duty of courts” and those taking the law into their own hands “will be dealt with strongly.”
The incident happened Thursday in front of a Kabul mosque when 27-year-old Farkhunda allegedly burned pages of a Quran. Dozens of angry people beat her to death and set her body on fire.
Local journalists called it the first incident of its kind in Kabul. Her parents told local media that she was mentally ill.
Police arrested six people and Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah told reporters that the incident “was discussed in the national security council session” a few hours after it happened.
The statement from the president’s office said that the president “also condemns in strong terms any action that causes disrespect to the Holy Quran and Islamic values.”
The incident will also be separately investigated by a committee that will include religious scholars.
