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Afghan Rape Victim Released From Jail, Lawyer Says


Burqa-clad women walk along a road in Kabul, where women continue to struggle for their rights.
Burqa-clad women walk along a road in Kabul, where women continue to struggle for their rights.
The lawyer for an Afghan woman who was jailed for adultery after being raped says his client has been released from prison after a pardon by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The woman, named Gulnaz, was released on December 13, two years after she was jailed for a so-called "moral crime" when a relative raped her.

Her U.S. lawyer, Kimberley Motley, told the BBC that her client was released without precondition, dispelling fears that she may have to marry the rapist.

Gulnaz was pardoned on December 1 after Karzai met judicial officials following an international outcry over her situation.

The case highlighted the poor state of women's rights in Afghanistan.

compiled from agency reports

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