A court in Afghanistan has sentenced four men to death for taking part in the mob beating of a woman accused of burning a Koran. The court found 18 others not guilty and sentenced eight to 16 years in prison. The region’s justice system is currently deciding the fate of 19 police officers, who were nearby but did nothing to prevent the brutal killing.
The incident unfolded in March, when the 28-year-old woman got into a dispute with a merchant, who then accused her of burning the Islamic text. However, there’s no evidence that she did. Moments later, a mob descended on the woman, beating her to death while others filmed with their cell phones. Her parents say she suffered from mental illness. Following the beating, her body was desecrated, being run over by a vehicle, thrown off a bridge and lit on fire. The case underscored the violence against women that is commonplace in the country. The woman’s family told the BBC that they think all of the primary defendants should have been given the same death sentence …