Suspended sentences for Britons in Afghan gun smuggling trial

An Afghan court convicted two Britons and an Indian on gun smuggling charges and gave them two-year suspended sentences following a one-day trial one of the men called a “circus.” An American was cleared.

Californian Sargon Heinrich, Indian Naveen Joshi and the Britons, Peter Eaton and Mike Shaw, have been jailed since their October 13 arrests during a police raid on a guest house in the capital, Kabul.

They had faced prison terms of up to six years.

Prosecutors claimed they were involved in a deal to sell 100 guns to an undercover police officer who was posing as a buyer.

The men denied the charges and said they were treated roughly during the raid.

Joshi claimed police beat a confession out of him.