The young woman was accused of burning pages from Islam’s holy book. An angry mob of hundreds attacked her after they heard charges by a local mullah. Her parents testified to her innocence. Next week, 19 police officers go on trial for failing to stop the lynching.

Kabul (AsiaNews) – This morning, four men were sentenced to death for killing Farkhunda, a 28-year-old woman who was falsely accused of burning a copy of the Qur‘an near the Shah-e-Do Shamshera mosque in Kabul.

The incident occurred on 19 March when an angry mob beat the young woman to death, burnt her body and then tipped it into the Kabul River.

Very soon, police investigators noted contradictions in witness statements with some dismissing the charges against the victim. Eventually, they determined that a mullah at a nearby mosque had incited the crowd against her.

Farkhunda’s parents told the media that their daughter went to see him to ask him to stop deceiving people by selling phoney Tawiz (a locket with Qur‘anic verses worn by people for protection), a practice that enabled him to get rich.

In the days that followed the brutal murder, scores of people took to the streets of Kabul demanding an immediate trial for the culprits, including several police officers who did nothing to stop the violence.

At the trial, some of the defendants admitted they were driven by what they heard at the mosque.

In addition to the four men sentenced to death, eight others got 16 years in prison. An additional 18 were found not guilty.

Next week, the court will also deliberate on the fate of 19 police officers present at the time of the lynching. They are accused of dereliction of duty for failing to protect the young woman.

• afghanistan
• kabul
• lunching
• farkhunda