A woman killed by an angry mob in front of police in the Afghan capital last week for allegedly burning a copy of Islam's holy book was wrongly accused, Afghanistan's top criminal investigator said on Sunday.
Mobile phone footage circulating on social media shows police at the scene did not save the 27-year-old woman, Farkhunda, who was beaten with sticks and set on fire by a crowd of men in central Kabul in broad daylight on Thursday.
"Last night I went through all documents and evidence once again, but I couldn't find any evidence to say Farkhunda burnt the Holy Koran," General Mohammad Zahir told reporters at her funeral on Sunday. "Farkhunda was totally innocent."
The killing was condemned by the Afghan president and other officials, but also drew praise from some quarters, including from a prominent cleric, who asserted the men had a right to defend their Muslim beliefs at all costs.
"My father was frightened and made the false statement to calm people down," said Najibullah, who is changing his second name to Farkhunda in memory of his sister.
The United States and other countries have spent millions of dollars in Afghanistan on promoting the rule of law, justice and women's rights since the Taliban were ousted in 2001.
The last decade has seen much progress: Millions of girls now attend school and women can enter employment, particularly in major cities. But in some rural areas, little has changed and hardwon rights are at risk of being reversed as aid and foreign troops are withdrawn.
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