Afghan students protest women's rights decree

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AP Kabul
Last Updated : May 22 2013 | 2:25 PM IST
Hard-line Islamist students are protesting in the Afghan capital demanding the repeal of a presidential decree for women's rights that they say is un-Islamic.
More than 200 male students protested in front of Kabul University today against the decree, which includes a ban on child marriage and forced marriage, makes domestic violence a crime and says rape victims cannot be prosecuted for adultery.
Protester Fazel Hadi, 25, said the decree was "imposed by foreigners" and violates Islamic Shariah law.
Conservative lawmakers on Saturday blocked enshrining the decree's provisions in legislation.
The backlash highlights the tenuousness of women's rights provisions enacted in the 12 years since the ouster of the hard-line Taliban regime. The international force that toppled the Taliban is now preparing to withdraw.
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First Published: May 22 2013 | 2:25 PM IST

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