Kabul: Afghan President Hamid Karzai is pardoning an Afghan woman serving a 12-year prison sentence for having sex out of wedlock after she was raped by a relative.
Karzai's office also said the woman and her attacker agreed to marry. That would reverse an earlier decision by the woman, who had previously refused a judge's offer of freedom if she agreed to wed the rapist.
Thursday's statement says Karzai decided to forgive the rest of the woman's sentence after hearing from judicial officials. It's not clear how much time the woman has served.
Her plight was highlighted in a documentary blocked by the European Union because it feared the women profiled would be endangered by its release.
More than 5,000 people signed a petition urging Karzai to release her.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, December 01, 2011, 23:19