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Slain Activist Freshta Kohistani Laid to Rest

Women’s rights activist Freshta Kohistani and her brother, who were killed in an attack by unknown armed men on Thursday, were laid to rest in their hometown in Kapisa province on Friday. 

Their relatives blamed the government for failing to prevent targeted killings that have increased in recent weeks.  

Kohistani’s burial saw the saddest moments when her young and only son Mustafa was seen screaming on her coffin and chanting ‘I want my mother.’  

“My mother was innocent,” Kohistani’s son said. “She was serving this nation but why she was martyred?” 

“If the government does not take action against these assassinations, we will take action on our own to address the security concerns,” said Mohammad Daud, a relative of Kohistani. 

Kohistani, 33, had asked for the First Vice President Amrullah Saleh in a Facebook post on December 13 in which she had mentioned that she faced serious threats.  

Women’s rights activists said harshly criticized what they called the security agencies’ “inattention” to the concerns raised by Kohistani.  

“What are the security agencies, the Ministry of Interior, the National Directorate of Security and the Ministry of Defense doing?” asked Frozan Khalilyar, a women’s rights activist. 

But the Ministry of Interior Affairs said Kohistani had not shared her concerns with police about the threats she faced.  

“Mrs. Kohistani had an introductory meeting with the minister of interior where she did not say anything about security threats against her. She didn’t fill any official complaint about security threats. Sadly, terrorists targeted her yesterday,” the Interior Ministry’s spokesman Tariq Arian said. 

This comes as on Wednesday, Yousuf Rasheed, CEO of the Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA), and his driver Sami were killed in Kabul by unknown gunmen.  

On Tuesday, 5 doctors were also killed in a targeted attack.  

On Monday night, Rahmatullah Nikzad, a freelance reporter and head of a media safety union in Ghazni, was killed in an attack by unknown armed men in the province.  

The attacks were widely criticized by Afghan and foreign officials who sought and end to targeted killings.  

Slain Activist Freshta Kohistani Laid to Rest

Kohistani's relatives blamed the government for failing to prevent targeted killings that have increased in recent weeks. 

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Women’s rights activist Freshta Kohistani and her brother, who were killed in an attack by unknown armed men on Thursday, were laid to rest in their hometown in Kapisa province on Friday. 

Their relatives blamed the government for failing to prevent targeted killings that have increased in recent weeks.  

Kohistani’s burial saw the saddest moments when her young and only son Mustafa was seen screaming on her coffin and chanting ‘I want my mother.’  

“My mother was innocent,” Kohistani’s son said. “She was serving this nation but why she was martyred?” 

“If the government does not take action against these assassinations, we will take action on our own to address the security concerns,” said Mohammad Daud, a relative of Kohistani. 

Kohistani, 33, had asked for the First Vice President Amrullah Saleh in a Facebook post on December 13 in which she had mentioned that she faced serious threats.  

Women’s rights activists said harshly criticized what they called the security agencies’ “inattention” to the concerns raised by Kohistani.  

“What are the security agencies, the Ministry of Interior, the National Directorate of Security and the Ministry of Defense doing?” asked Frozan Khalilyar, a women’s rights activist. 

But the Ministry of Interior Affairs said Kohistani had not shared her concerns with police about the threats she faced.  

“Mrs. Kohistani had an introductory meeting with the minister of interior where she did not say anything about security threats against her. She didn’t fill any official complaint about security threats. Sadly, terrorists targeted her yesterday,” the Interior Ministry’s spokesman Tariq Arian said. 

This comes as on Wednesday, Yousuf Rasheed, CEO of the Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA), and his driver Sami were killed in Kabul by unknown gunmen.  

On Tuesday, 5 doctors were also killed in a targeted attack.  

On Monday night, Rahmatullah Nikzad, a freelance reporter and head of a media safety union in Ghazni, was killed in an attack by unknown armed men in the province.  

The attacks were widely criticized by Afghan and foreign officials who sought and end to targeted killings.  

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