Afghanistan - Farkhunda: Making of a Martyr - Video + Court Hearing Private

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Four Men Convicted of the Brutal Murder of Farkhunda, a Woman Who Was Falsely Accused of Burning a Quran, Had Their Death Sentences Overturned, a Judicial Source Told NBC News

By FAZUL RAHIM and SARAH BURKE

NBC - KABUL, Afghanistan - July 2, 2015 – Four men were sentenced to death in May for the killing of Farkhunda, a young Afghan religious scholar. Farkhunda was beaten, run over by a car, thrown into a river and set alight by a mob on March 19. A video of her murder sparked widespread outrage and protests in Afghanistan. The four men's terms were reduced to 20 years each during Wednesday's hearing. A caretaker of Kabul's Shah-Do Shamshira holy shrine and a local district police chief were also acquitted. Omran, the keeper of the shrine, was one of eight men sentenced to 16 years of jail time for inciting the murder. The police chief was one of 11 police officers serving one year for failing to prevent the attack. Seventeen men remain in prison for their involvement with their sentences unchanged.

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The Guardian: Kimberley Motley, a US lawyer in Afghanistan who represented Farkhunda’s family at the first trial described the decision as “outrageous”. She said: “It shows that the judges are not interested in following the rule of law in Afghanistan. I think it’s horrendous that this case was conducted in private. The family were not told about it and afforded the right to be in court. It’s extremely disappointing that they would come up with this decision in such a secret way. It will be really interesting to see the written rationale.”

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BBC Newsnight - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idN_fV2Qjfk

The heartbreaking story of Farkhunda - the Afghan woman who was falsely accused of burning the Koran, and beaten to death.

Afghanistan – Farkhunda: Making of a Martyr – Video