At the original trial in May, eight men were given jail terms of 16 years, as well as the four who received death sentences.
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Initially given life sentences in May, Kabul Appeals Court judge Abdul Nasir Murid said the sentences were reduced to 20 years for three of the men, with a fourth criminal sentenced for only 10 years.
Tolo TV station first reported the sentence reductions on Wednesday, quoting anonymous sources.
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 Koran.
The court’s decision was “remarkably disappointing”, according to Kimberley Motley, a Kabul-based lawyer who represented the victim’s family in the earlier trial.
Lawmakers and activists also criticized the decision, saying the court had bowed to the conservative religious establishment and failed to uphold the rule of law.
“This is against the constitution.
The courts should be open to the public, and this closed-door hearing undermines the credibility of the sentences”,
said Shukria Barakzai, a lawmaker and women’s rights advocate.
A 27-year-old woman called Farkhunda Malikzada was killed on March 19.
The woman, Farkhunda, 27, was savagely beaten and her body set ablaze in broad daylight, triggering protests around the country and drawing global attention to the treatment of Afghan women.
The lynching was filmed by people in the crowd and shared widely on social media.
Of the 49 people convicted, 37 were released last month ahead of their appeals. “They don’t want that”, he said.
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Kabul-based human rights activist Samira Hamidi told RFI that Wednesday’s decision shows no one in the government is serious in addressing the challenges faced by women in Afghanistan. The whole world laughs at the judicial system of Afghanistan.
