Afghan Women Bury One of Own Killed by Mob

Afghanistan today laid to rest the 27-year-old woman horrifically beaten to death by a male mob, and in a departure from tradition the BBC notes that Farkhunda's coffin was carried by all women. "She is a sister to you all, and it is your duty to bury her," her brother told the crowd. Hundreds attended her funeral in Kabul today, many chanting, "We want justice," reports Reuters. "In which religion or faith is it acceptable to burn a person to death?" said one women's rights activist, per the AP. "Today is a day of national mourning and we will not keep quiet."

But the scope of that injustice— Farkhunda was beaten, set afire, and thrown into a river as police watched, notes the AP —was only underscored by the country's top criminal investigator. "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 said today. "Farkhunda was totally innocent." He said that 13 people have been arrested so far; eight are cops. Farkhunda's brother, meanwhile, walked back claims that she was mentally ill, saying that was a story their father concocted to protect his family. "My father was frightened and made the false statement to calm people down," he said, per Reuters. (More Afghanistan stories.)