Afghan woman shot dead by her father in public

An Afghan woman has been shot dead by her own father in front of a mob of 300 after she was accused of dishonouring her family by running away from her husband.

The victim, known only as Halima, was aged between 18 and 20 and had two children, according to Amnesty International. She had eloped with a male cousin while her husband was in Iran. But ten days later he returned her to her family. Her father sought the advice of village elders and three of them issued a fatwa ordering that Halima be publicly executed. She was shot dead on April 22. It is not known what has happened to her cousin, who has not been identified.

Her father and the three elders, who are all allegedly linked to the Taliban, have gone into hiding. Amnesty International's Afghanistan researcher Horia Mosadiq said: 'The deeply shocking practice of women being subjected to violent "punishments", including killing, publicly or privately, must end.

'The authorities across Afghanistan must ensure that perpetrators of violence against women are brought to justice. 'Violence against women continues to be endemic in Afghanistan and those responsible very rarely face justice.'

In August 2009, Afghanistan passed the Elimination of Violence against Women Law, which criminalises forced marriage, rape, beatings and other acts of violence against women. But, women are still not free of and are victims of domestic violence and social boycott.

In November, a teenage girl was beheaded by a relative after she turned down his marriage proposals. The victim, named Gisa, was decapitated with a knife in the Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province on Tuesday, local police said. She is believed to have been about 15.

One of the most notorious murders was in July 2012 when footage of a 22-year-old Afghan woman being put to death by two Taliban commanders because they 'they could not decide who could have her was posted online. The woman, named only as Najiba, was reportedly part of a Taliban love triangle - married to a member of the hardline militant group - and accused of adultery with a commander.

Twelve months ago, in April 2012, the ex-husband of a 30-year-old mother-of-two burst into her house and beheaded her. He also decapitated their eight-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter because they had watched the attack in Ghazni province.

In August 2010, a pregnant woman was publicly executed by the Taliban for alleged adultery. Bibi Sanubar, 48, was flogged up to 200 times before being shot in the head and chest in the remote Qades district. Her alleged lover managed to escape.