5 Afghan rapists get death sentence

A panel of three judges in a Kabul court sentenced five men to death on charges of rape last month. Two other defendants were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

On September 7, a lower court had sentenced all seven men to death. However, the panel on Monday, led by Judge Sediqullah Haqiqqi, reversed the death sentences of two men and charged them with crimes unrelated to the rape in late August.

The other five were found guilty of "gang rape, kidnapping, armed robbery and violence against women." Three other suspects are still at large.

Prosecutors said that a group of armed men had stopped a family travelling by car in an area called Paghman, close to the Afghan capital on August 29. The attackers raped the four women in the car, beat up the men and children, and stole their valuables. One of the victims, an 18-year-old who was pregnant, succumbed to her injuries in the hospital.

Judge Sediqullah Haqiqqi said he expected the defendants to appeal to the nation's Supreme Court.

'A mockery of human rights'

The rape attack sparked widespread outrage in Afghanistan. Angry protestors demanded that the men be executed. However, an execution can be carried out only after a final approval from the president.

The initial trial lasted only two hours before the judges announced the convictions, prompting Human Rights Watch to call the trial "a mockery of justice for both victims and defendants."

Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch said that the case demonstrated that the Afghan judicial system had a "long way to go before genuine justice is handed down."

Women's rights groups have, however welcomed the death penalty for the perpetrators. Hasina Safi of the Afghan Women's Network said: "We consider it a big step and achievement for the women of Afghanistan."

mg/sb (dpa, AP)