An Afghan woman convicted of adultery after she was raped and became pregnant was released from prison along with her 2-year-old daughter after President Hamid Karzai intervened on their behalf. Gulnaz, 21, left the Badambagh Prison outside of Kabul Wednesday and is currently at a women’s shelter.
Gulnaz made headlines last month when her 12 year prison sentence was reduced to 3 years. She was raped two years ago by her cousin’s husband. She tried to hide the crime, but was forced to make it public when she discovered she was pregnant. Prosecutors said she was convicted of adultery because she did not report the crime as soon as it happened. Gulnaz’s rapist was also convicted of adultery and sentenced to 7 years in prison.
"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 last month.
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