A photograph of an Afghan woman whose nose was sliced off by her husband in a fit of rage has sparked online anger, with activists demanding punishment for what one called a “barbaric act”.
Reza Gul, 20, was rushed to hospital after the attack in Ghormach district in the northwestern province of Faryab on Sunday. Her husband is said to have fled to a Taliban-controlled area.
“Mohammad Khan [the husband] cut off Reza Gul's nose with a pocket knife,” Faryab governor’s spokesman Ahmad Javed Bedar said.
The incident highlights the endemic violence against women in Afghan society, despite reforms since the hardline Taliban Islamist regime was ousted by a 2001 US-led invasion.
“Such a brutal and barbaric act should be strongly condemned,” Kabul-based women’s rights activist Alema said.
“Such incidents would not happen if the government judicial system severely punished attacks on women,” added Alema, who goes by one name.
The disfigured woman’s photograph was widely shared on social media, prompting calls for tough action against the husband.