Human rights groups have urged new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to stop the execution of five convicted rapists who are due to be hanged on Wednesday.

The men were convicted of attacking four women in Paghman town who were returning from a wedding in August.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the trial had seen “horrendous due process violations”, including lack of evidence and allegations of forced confessions.

The case sparked national outrage and huge media interest in Afghanistan.

Activists say violence against women is prevalent in the country but that cases rarely attract this much attention.