A new report from Human Rights Watch says women escaping abuse in Afghanistan are facing harsh government persecution. Hundreds of women have been jailed for fleeing domestic abuse, forced prostitution and violent attacks. Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth criticized Afghan courts for targeting women.

Kenneth Roth: “Now the Afghan Supreme Court has said that the crime of running away can be found in sharia (Islamic law), but when we looked around the world, no other government thinks that running away is in sharia. Afghanistan stands alone in that interpretation. This misuse of the made-up crime of running away is emblematic of the difficult position that women find themselves in Afghanistan today.”