A young Afghan woman who was convicted of adultery and sentenced to 12 years in prison after a family member raped her two years ago has had her sentence reduced. Prosecutors announced Wednesday that 21-year-old Gulnaz will only be required to serve 3 years in prison for not reporting her rape as soon as it happened.
"Gulnaz claims that she has been raped. But because she reported the crime four months later, we couldn't find any evidence [of an attack]. She was convicted for not reporting a crime on time,” attorney general spokesman Rahmatullah Nazari said.
Gulnaz was 19 at the time her cousin’s husband raped her while her mother was away from their home. She tried to hide the crime, but was forced to make it public when she discovered she was pregnant. Gulnaz later gave birth to a daughter. The child lives with her at the Badambagh Prison outside of Kabul.
Gulnaz says she has the opportunity restore her honor by marrying her rapist, who was also convicted of adultery and sentenced to 7 years in prison. If Gulnaz consents, she would be released from prison.
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