Teenage bride forced to take 'virginity tests' kills herself 40 days after arranged marriage

Mother says her daughter is a victim of 'slander and violence'

Rajabbi Khurshed, 18, killed herself 40 days after her arranged marriage with Zafar Pirov, 40

A bride killed herself after her husband rejected the results of the virginity tests she was forced to take.

Rajabbi Khurshed, 18, killed herself 40 days after her arranged marriage with Zafar Pirov, 40, in the village of Charbogh, Tajikistan.

Pirov demanded his wife take two further virginity tests in addition to the government-required exam in Tajikistan.

He then asked for a second wife after refusing to believe the results.

Ms Khurshed's family told Radio Free Europe their daughter told them on her deathbed she had been under enormous pressure from her husband and "couldn't take it any longer."

Her mother, Fazila Mirzoeva, described her daughter as a victim of "slander and violence".

Pirov has been charged with driving his new wife to suicide. He could face up to eight years in prison.

He defended himself, telling RFE/RL: "My wife gave me a written statement that she allows me to get a second wife because she wasn't a virgin when we got married."

Pre-marriage virginity tests for women are common in Tajikistan.

In 2015, medical checks before marriage were made compulsory for both men and women, although only women are subjected to virginity tests.