JINHA

NEWS CENTER – Kabul courts have acquitted eight policeman and sentenced eleven to just one year of prison for "negligence of duty" in the killing of Farkhunda in Afghanistan.

Farkhunda, 28, was killed by a mob in Kabul after she was accused of burning a copy of the Qur'an. She became a symbol of resistance for Afghan women, with protests for Farkhunda spreading across the country. On May 6, the court issued the death penalty to four of the 49 suspects being tried in the Farkhunda case. Eight suspects received 16-year jail sentences, while 18 were acquitted in the first decision.

Yesterday, the court issued jail sentences of just one year for the police officers, drawing criticism. Despite the fact that some witnesses say policeman participated directly in the mob violence against Farkhunda, they were charged with negligence of duty in the case. MP Farkhunda Naderi called the decision a symbolic verdict and said the wrong people were in the dock, according to the BBC. She said that the Kabul police chief should have been put on trial, noting that the policemen who were acquitted had connections with the Afghan president and high-ranking CEOs. The Kabul police have been known for their lack of action since the event occurred, with Kabul police spokesperson Hasamat Stanakzai posting to his Facebook account that Farkhunda was an "apostate" who was trying to get U.S. citizenship through her actions.

"We have nothing more to say about this new verdict. We have already expressed our concern about the whole process," Farkhunda's brother Mujibullah told AFP.

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