Why was ex-journalist Mena Mangal murdered? Police hunt estranged ex-husband after brazen daylight killing in Kabul
- Former TV presenter posted a message on social media days before she died saying she had received a death threat – though she did say who it was from
- Her ex-husband remains at large and is being sought by police
When gunmen killed former journalist Mena Mangal on a busy Kabul street, observers first wondered if she had been murdered by the Taliban, the Islamist extremists who have long marginalised women.
But police quickly said they were looking at Mangal’s broad-daylight killing as the result of a family dispute, saying her ex-husband had “probably” played a role.
The brazen attack last weekend sparked global outrage over the plight of Afghan women, who still suffer rampant levels of physical and mental abuse, sexual violence and discrimination.
Authorities say Mangal’s death came amid the type of suffocating marital dispute that is common for many women in Afghanistan, a country where domestic abuse can seem like the norm and women are often seen as little more than household chattel.
Her killing has garnered broad condemnation – including from the US and from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In Kabul, the attorney general’s office said Mangal had filed a complaint saying she was mistreated by her husband, whom she had felt pressured into marrying after a 10-year engagement.