Death Sentences for Killing Afghan Woman

An Afghanistan court handed down heavy sentences to those accused of the murder of a young Afghan woman in March. She was beaten to death by a mob after the caretaker of a local shrine accused her of burning the Quran. Four of the men accused of killing the 28-year-old, known as Farkhunda, were sentenced to death after just four days of deliberation—including Zain-ul Abedeen, the caretaker—while eight more were given prison terms of 16 years. A final 18 were cleared of charges in the case due to lack of evidence, and 19 policemen are still awaiting verdicts and sentences. Farkhunda, a student of Islam, disapproved of Abedeen's selling of amulets and trinkets at the shrine, which she considered un-Islamic. Abedeen retaliated on March 19 by falsely accusing her and whipping the mob that killed her into a frenzy.