In what is set to evoke a worldwide condemnation, a court in Afghanistan has quashed the death sentences handed to four men accused of lynching a 28-year-old woman to death in Kabul in March.
The decision of revoking the death sentence was taken by an appeals court in a secret hearing, reported the BBC. The court also acquitted the keeper of the shrine Omran, who was the one to incite the mob to kill Farkhunda after she had argued with him, adds the BBC report.
28-year-old Farkhunda, who was falsely accused of burning the holy Quran, was thrashed black and blue, stamped at, stoned and run over by a car before being burnt.
Farkhunda’s murder by a frenzied death came after she was reportedly embroiled in an argument with a mullah over his practice of selling charms to women at a shrine.
During the course of the argument, the mullah accused her of having burnt the holy Quran which incited a mob that lynched her to death.
Eight were given jail terms and four sentenced to death for Farkhunda’s mob killing. However, after an appeals court quashed the death sentences, women activists in Afghanistan are outraged.
