Last Wednesday, an Afghan court sentenced four men to death for the mob killing of a woman. While we here at Global Citizen don't condone capital punishment, in many countries around the world, it might seem like a no-brainer to deliver serious jail time for a crime like this. However, violence against women often goes unpunished in Afghanistan, a country where gender equality is still far from reality.

Life in Afghanistan hasn't always been like this for women. In years gone by, there was much more freedom to wear what they wanted, vote, go to school, and work. But when the Taliban seized control of the country in the mid 1990s, women's rights were stripped back in a big way. Conditions have slowly improved since the Taliban was ousted from power in the wake of the September 11 attacks, but while the law has given women back some of their rights, there is still significant violence and oppression.

In the case that was handled last week, a woman named Farkhunda was falsely accused of burning a copy of the Quran. She was 27 years old and was beaten to death in public because one man made a bogus claim that she destroyed the sacred Islamic text.

This man was one of the four sentenced last week, along with a man who threw large rocks, one who ran her over with a car, and the man who set her on fire.

These men were only part of the trial. 49 suspects were accused for their contributions to the mob killing, including the 19 police officers that were charged with neglecting their duties and failing to prevent the attack. The police officers have been separated into a different trial with decisions still to come. But 8 of the other defendents were sentenced to life in prison, and 16 more were acquitted. 

The atrocious assault was caught on video and spread throughout social media back in March. Whether Farkhunda had burned a Quran or not, the attack was inhumane and sparked countrywide protests that demanded justice. Violence against women often gets overlooked in Afghanistan, but enough is enough. While many wished for all who were involved in the killing to be punished, the number and severity of the convictions that have come out of the case indicates that Afghanistan is starting to take the rights of women more seriously. As mentioned, we here at Global Citizen don't endorse capital punishment, but in countries where it continues to be legal, it is normally only used for crimes that the courts deem to be very serious.

Afghanistan's increasing respect for the rights of women is a welcome development, and it's important that these improvements continue to occur. As global citizens, we need to continue to spread the message that violence against women is not okay. Take action now by signing the petition to protect women and girls' rights.