Eleven Afghan police jailed over inaction

Eleven Afghan policemen were yesterday sentenced to one year in prison for failing to protect a woman who was lynched by a mob after being falsely accused of blasphemy, following a landmark fast-track trial.

Farkhunda, 27, was savagely beaten and her body was set ablaze in broad daylight on March 19, triggering protests around the country and drawing global attention to the treatment of Afghan women.

The verdict comes after four Afghan men were sentenced to death and eight others were handed 16-year jail terms earlier this month after a three-day trial broadcast live on national television.

"You are sentenced... for negligence of duty to one year in prison," Judge Safiullah Mojaddidi told the 11 defendants, including senior officers, while eight other policemen were found not guilty.

"This verdict is not final and the defendants have the right to appeal," the Kabul primary court judge added.

Farkhunda was attacked on the banks of the Kabul River after an amulet seller, whom she had reportedly castigated for peddling superstition, falsely accused her of burning a copy of the Quran.