An Afghan judge on May 6 sentenced four men to death for participating in the mob killing of a woman who was falsely accused of burning a Koran in Kabul.
The four were among 49 defendants, including 19 police officers, on trial in a case that sparked outrage and street protests in Kabul after video of the attack appeared on the Internet.
The victim of the March 19 attack, 27-year-old Farkhunda, was beaten and bludgeoned to death by an angry mob, then lit on fire and dumped into the Kabul River near the Shah-e Do-Shamshera shrine.
Farkhunda had told women at the shrine not to waste their money on amulets being sold by male fortune tellers and faith healers.
Witnesses said the men responded by falsely accusing her of burning the Koran, which sparked the brutal attack against her.
Police later confirmed there was no evidence to support the Koran-burning allegation.