Monday, July 06, 2015
Kabul (BNA) President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani received in ARG the other day the group of activists demanding justice for Farkhunda.
Discussing Farkhunda’s case, President Ghani said that no citizen of Afghanistan should be made subject to violence.
The President said that the Constitution prohibits him from interfering in the court rulings. He added that Farkhunda’s case is yet to be finalized in the appeal’s court as only seventy of the hundred pages of the verdict have been written out thus far.
President Ghani noted that any shortcoming in various aspects of the prosecutor’s work would be diligently reviewed. The President said that he had met with late Farkhunda’s family two days prior and vowed that he would pave the way for delivery of justice.
The President’s legal advisor, Abdul Ali Mohammadi said that the Appeals Court covered some gaps in the rulings of the Primary Court. Mr. Mohammadi highlighted as an instance the fact that the defendants did not have access to defense attorneys in the Primary Court proceedings. He added the main issue is identification of the primary killer of Farkunda that the law defines as the person who struck the last fatal blow. Mr. Mohammadi said that video footage captured on cameras constitute the only available evidence. He underscored the legal complexities in Farkhunda’s case, which have led to obscurities and challenges for the courts. He added that shortcomings in the penal code of Afghanistan require that this case be reviewed in light of Hanafi jurisprudence. The group of activists said that Farkhunda’s case has attracted attention not only in Afghanistan but also on an international level.
They said that there are efforts to give a traditional and political veneer to this case.
The group emphasized that the main killer of Farkhunda as well as those who were involved in the incident and have not yet been arrested get detained as soon as possible.
At the end of the meeting, President Ghani said that the main point is ensuring justice, an issue which is need of public discourse and discussion. He said that the people of Afghanistan should not be deprived of justice and that we should consider the national aspect of Farkhunda’s case to that end.
President Ghani expressed his preparedness to take all measures to bring necessary amendments to the penal code of Afghanistan.
The President also reiterated his support for the family of Farkhunda and called on the civil society to share with him their specific ideas and suggestions about ways to address existing problems in the police and prosecutor’ work.
He advised that Islamic precepts and the Constitution be given priority in formulation of their discourse. President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani called on people to exercise patience in the face investigations into Farkhunda’s case so that the urge for quick prosecution of the case does not reduce it to Taliban style of justice.
