JINHA

NEWS CENTER – Protests for justice for Farkhunda, the women burned and beaten to death based on the claim that she had burned a Qur'an, have spread to dozens of Afghan provinces, with protests over the weekend emphasizing that the system is responsible for her death.

The city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province saw 500 take to the streets bearing signs with Farkhunda's bloodied face, demanding the punishment of the state officials who have long emboldened violence against women by allowing gangs and warlords to virtually rule the country for decades.

Dozens more cities have seen ceremonies of remembrance for Farkhundaand protests demanding justice. Women have streaked their faces red, sending the message: "we are all Farkhunda." The young woman has become a symbol of rebellion—an icon "chosen by the people" in place of the warlords and violent men pushed on Afghans as national heroes, according to Sima Samar of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.

In Kabul, a café run by Afghan Women's Welfare Foundation founders has changed its name to CaféFarkhunda. Women across the country are naming their babies "Farkhunda" to keep alive the name of this symbol of rebellion. At Farkhunda's grave, where women refused to allow men to touch her coffin in an emotional ceremony, a green flag of martyrdom now waves. Women have planted saplings to commemorate Farkhunda.

The Afghan police arrested just nine perpetrators in the case of the mob violence, long after the fact. Widely shared videos show police tolerating the mob's attack. After Farkhunda was killed, Kabul police spokesman HashmatStanakzai wrote on Facebook that she was an apostate "trying to get European or U.S. citizenship with her actions."

But protestors say that it's not just the crowd of men, the mullah who called for Farkhunda to be attacked or even the police who permitted her death who must be tried before there can be justice for Farkhunda. The entire system, they say, needs to change.

(fk/cm)