Mob murder leaves family living in fear KABUL: The family of an Afghan woman killed by a frenzied mob in an attack that shocked the world with its brutality is living in isolation and fear as they wait for justice they believe will never come Since Farkhunda Malikzada was killed on March 19, life has come to a standstill for those she left behind, said her father, 72-year-old Mohammad Nader Malikzada. "We cannot live a normal life, our chil- dren cannot go to school or college, we can't even go shopping," he said. "We are under such psychological pressure. It is hell in this house." The Afghanistan's Primary Court released 37 of the 49 people convicted of Farkhunda's murder pending their appeals against sentences the family has said are too light.
After a peddler at a Kabul shrine falsely accused Farkhunda of burning a Koran a mob attacked her as police watched After punching, kicking and beating her with wooden planks, the crowd threw her from a roof, ran over her with a car and crushed her with a block of concrete. They then set her body alight on the bank of the Kabul River. Footage of the attack captured on mobile phones circulated online, and the killing fuelled widespread outrage. Protesters demanding women's rights and judicial reform carried posters showing Farkhun da's bloody face and held candlelight vigils At the murder trial, four people were found guilty and sentenced to death Charges against 18 men were dropped for lack of evidence, and eight others were sen tenced to 16 years in prison These decisions are completely unac ceptable, said Mr Mohammad. "All these people have been freed, others who were clearly involved have not been arrested
Fearing violence, kidnapping, or retribu- tion from police or members of the mob who have been released, Farkhunda's family now rarely leaves the house. The adults don't go to work, and the children no longer go to school or university. Farkhunda's mother Bibi Hajira, said she feels their lives are in constant danger. "We want to see justice and we want to be moved to a safe place," she said. "I don't have power or money to fight for it. In the days after Farkhunda's murder, family members met with First Lady Rula Ghani, who said the"horrible, barbaric tragedy" highlighted violence of Afghan society after decades of war