Afghan politicians and women’s rights activists are demanding justice after a political adviser and former prominent TV presenter was murdered in broad daylight.
Mina Mangal, who worked as a television presenter before entering politics, was shot dead at close range in Kabul on Saturday.
Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah vowed her killers would be caught.
The motive remains unclear but one line of inquiry is a family dispute.
In a statement released on Saturday, the interior ministry said that Ms Mangal, who was on her way to work as an adviser for the Afghan parliament’s cultural affairs commission, was shot dead around 07:20 local time.
Afghanistan’s Supreme Court, and civil society groups including the commission into violence against women, have called for a serious investigation into her killing.
Ms Mangal had recently posted on Facebook that she had received threats and feared for her life, prominent women’s rights activist Wazhma Frogh said on Twitter.
Mina Mangal, who worked as a television presenter before entering politics. PHOTO/COURTESY
Ms Mangal separated from her husband two years ago, with her family filing a complaint alleging domestic violence at the time, Jamshid Rasooli, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office, told the BBC.
He said the case was referred to a family violence court and later dropped in a decision criticised by Ms Mangal’s family.
Police are continuing their investigation into the murder and have not identified any suspects.
Since Ms Mangal’s death, Afghan social media has been vocal about the levels of violence against women in the country.
Some pointed out that some of Afghanistan’s most high-profile crimes against women have taken place in daylight and in busy areas of the capital, Kabul, including the high-security Green Zone.
Rights groups have documented increasing cases of gender-based violence, particularly in areas dominated by the Taliban
Reporters Without Borders also listed Afghanistan as the deadliest country for journalists in 2018.
