JINHA – Four of the 49 defendants have been sentenced to death in the case of Farkhunda, the woman killed by a mob of men in Kabul, at the hearing yesterday.

In addition to the four death sentences, judge Safiullah Mojadedi sentenced eight defendants to 16 years in prison and acquitted 18 more, for a total of 30 verdicts. The judge sentenced only the civilian defendants. It is expected that sentences for the 19 police officers being tried for neglecting their duties in the case will be released this weekend (although police are accused of directly participating in the mob killing.)

A mob of men killed 27-year-old Kabul resident Farkhunda in front of the Shah-Do Shamshira mosque on March 19 of this year based on a claim that she had burned a Qur'an. As cell phone videos of the attack spread, Farkhunda became a symbol of resistance in Afghanistan, with women naming their daughters after her and taking to the streets to protest the state.

(fk/cm)