Honor Killing in Kabul, Afghanistan? The Disappearance and Death of 17-Year-Old Farkhunda

Farkhunda
Age: 17
Died: 14 November 2025
Residence: Kabul
Origin: Afghanistan
Perpetrator: Husband

Farkhunda was born in Chah Ab district in Takhar province, located in northeastern Afghanistan. She was only 17 years old when her family married her off to a man named Emadullah. According to people close to her, he had initially refused the marriage and said he wanted to marry someone else. Nevertheless, the wedding went ahead.

Approximately 45 days after their wedding day, the young couple moved to Kabul. They lived in the hallway of an apartment building near the Gulbahar Center — a narrow, unofficial space without privacy, without basic facilities, and without anything that could truly be considered a home. For Farkhunda, new to the city and entirely dependent on her husband, this meant isolation and vulnerability.

In the weeks that followed, stories circulated about tensions within the marriage. Some said that Emadullah had never wanted to accept her; others claimed that pressure from his family had been significant. No one knew exactly what daily life was like in that cramped hallway, but several local residents later spoke about arguments and unrest.

On Friday evening, 14 November 2025, things went wrong. What exactly happened remains unclear. Local sources speak of a “suspicious” death. Some residents reported hearing sounds before the incident, others recalled that Farkhunda was not seen alive afterward. The cause of death was never determined; no doctor examined her body and no official report exists.

Shortly after, her husband’s family took possession of her body. Without informing her parents and without the permission of her own family, Farkhunda was buried in silence. There was no autopsy, no forensic investigation, no medical examination — nothing that could have provided clarity about what happened to her. Her own family only learned later that their daughter had already been buried.

Taliban authorities in Kabul have so far not responded to the case. No investigation has been announced, and no statements have been issued. Why a healthy young girl suddenly died, why her body was buried in haste, and why no investigation was permitted remain unanswered questions.