AFGHANISTAN: HERAT COURT SENTENCES CHILD'S KIDNAPPERS TO DEATH

February 20, 2013: A court in Herat, Afghanistan, handed a death sentence to two men who were charged with kidnapping and killing a Herat businessman's young son.
Police have arrested 12 suspects in the case. Besides the two who were sentenced to death, one accomplice received a 20-year sentence. Five others, including two women, received six to 16 years. Two other suspects were acquitted.
Two of the arrested were still in police custody and under investigation, media reported.
On January 31, abductors killed Ali Sina after holding the boy for 35 days, local officials told TOLO News. Police initially said that Ali was 11, but he is now being reported to have been 8.
The family paid a ransom, but the kidnappers killed Ali anyhow.
The convicted men will appeal their sentence, defence attorney Ahmad Navid Ziaratjahi told TOLO News. (Sources: centralasiaonline.com, 22/02/2013)