An Afghan court has overturned the death sentences of four men convicted of the brutal murder of Farkhunda Malikzada in a ruling that has shocked the region.
The decision came on Wednesday when the court reduced the sentence to 20-years each for three of the four men who had earlier been given the death penalty, according to NBC News.
The fourth man had his sentence reduced to 10 years in prison, Fox News reported. A local district police chief who was serving one year for failing to prevent the attack was also acquitted.
Omran, the caretaker of Kabul's Shah-Do Shamshira shrine who had been sentenced to 16 years in jail for inciting the murder, also walked free, according to BBC News.
Malikzada, 27 at the time of her death, was beaten, run over by a car and set alight by a mob that then threw her body into a river on March 19 after she was falsely accused of burning the Quran. A video of her lynching had triggered widespread outrage and protest across the politically fragile nation where women's issues are normally ignored.
"This is an indication of how unjust our justice system is. They made the decision under pressure from religious extremists and powerful circles," women's rights activist Wazhma Frogh told NBC News in her reaction to the court order.
The ruling, made behind closed doors, was first reported by the independent Tolo TV. Mujibullah, Farkhuda's brother, told Agence France Presse the family was not told of the court's decision, nor were they invited to the session.
"We just heard through media that the appeal court in a secret session has reversed the decision. They didn't inform us. Whatever the decision is we will not accept it." Majibullah said.
