Verdicts Delayed On Police In Afghan Mob Killing

An Afghan court has postponed issuing verdicts for the 19 police officers charged over the mob killing of a woman in Kabul.

Judge Safiullah Mojadedi said May 10 that more time is need to complete the probe.

The officers are charged with failing to prevent the March attack on a woman named Farkhunda. Mojadedi did not specifically say when he'd issue the verdicts.

Of the 49 defendants charged in the slaying, four have been sentenced to death and eight to 16 years in prison. Another 18 were freed for lack of evidence.

An angry mob turned on 27-year-old Farkhunda on March 19, beating and trampling on her in broad daylight and setting her body ablaze on the banks of the Kabul River.

The attack came after an amulet seller, whom she had reportedly castigated for peddling superstition, falsely accused her of burning the Koran.

Her killing sparked protests around Afghanistan and drew global attention to the treatment of Afghan women.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP