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Benjamin Netanyahu Struggles To Form Strong Coalition; According to Investigation, Germanwings Co-Pilot "Rehearsed" Controlled Descent On Previous Flight; Cross Country Travel As British Party Leaders Gear Up For Tomorrow's Election; Four Sentenced To Death In Killing of Afghan Woman; Bollywood Star Salman Khan Sentenced to Prison. Aired 11:00-12:00P ET

Aired May 06, 2015 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:00:13] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Countdown to a cabinet that will steer Israel at a critical time for the region. We're live this hour in

Jerusalem for you as the deadline approaches. But will Israel have a new government as midnight strikes?

Also ahead, after the mob murder that shocked Afghanistan, a verdict that is already proving decisive. And divisive: we'll talk to an Afghan

lawmaker about why she thinks justice for the victim is still far away.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KHALIFA HAFTAR, LIBYAN GENERAL (through translator): Our ambition for Libya is for it to be safe and secure, have the rule of law , somewhere

where people are happy. This is our ambition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: An exclusive interview with the man some see as Libya's future leader. The controversial General Haftar talks peace, politics and

personal ambition. That's ahead.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.

ANDERSON: A very good evening. It is just after 7:00 in the UAE. First up tonight, a new report should erase any remaining doubt that the

co-pilot of a Germanwings flight deliberately crashed the plane into the French Alps.

French investigators say Andreas Lubitz rehearsed the controlled descent on an earlier flight that same day.

Their interim report suggests Lubitz was testing setting as part of a, quote, "dry run." Prosecutors believe he intentionally slammed flight 9525

into the Alps on March 24 killing all 150 people on board.

Well, let's get right to Richard Quest for more. He is following developments from London for you.

They say he reportedly carried out a couple of practice runs, it seems one specifically. Why is this information only coming to light now,

Richard?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Because they've only just got the full data of the flight data recorder, Becky. It's only just

been analyzed.

And once you have the immediate announcement, the immediate announcement that we got after the CVR the day after on the 24th, the

moment you had that out of the way there was always going to be the preliminary report where you were going to get some of the facts.

This is nothing more than a factual exposition of what took place, of what they know happened.

And so it goes chapter and verse into the flight itself. And then on the previous flight, the flight form Dusseldorf to Barcelona, you get there

two moments, Becky, these two opportunities, these two times -- one for just three seconds, the other for a minute 45 seconds -- 47 seconds where

Lubitz -- and there you see the one on the left. That's the short one where he sets the auto-pilot for 100 feet, then sets it for 49,000 and then

towards the right of that graph where he sets it once again.

And what's he's doing there, Becky, we believe or why it's thought he's seeing how the aircraft will respond. Will it warn, will it prevent,

will it rebel? He's seeing what the aircraft does, Becky.

ANDERSON: And did it respond?

QUEST: It did what it was supposed to do. What he was fearful of, I'm guessing, is that the Airbus, which has huge protections designed to

prevent the pilots from flying it in a way that's dangerous. So he thought if I set this to 100 feet, what's the plane going to do? Is it going to

prevent it, is it going to set off alarms, is it going to countermand it?

What he does, of course, is he actually does it and finds that the plane does continue the preprogrammed descent in an orderly fashion. And

he now knows -- what of course some have suggested is this might have been a dry run. And he just decided not to. We don't know.

All we know is, on the previous flight he tried it and we know what happened after that.

ANDERSON: Yeah, remarkable stuff and disturbing stuff. Richard, always a pleasure. Thank you.

Richard Quest is in London for you this evening.

Now, time is running out for the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new coalition government. He has until midnight Israel

time, that is there since six hours from now to build a majority in Parliament.

The coalition talks hit a road block after foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman announced that he was pulling his party from the discussions.

Now that leaves Mr. Netanyahu will little option over a coalition.

If he fails his rival Isaac Herzog of the Zionist Union Party could have a turn to form a government himself.

Oren Liebermann following developments from Jerusalem for you tonight -- Oren.

[11:05:00] OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, the question is after Avigdor Lieberman pulled out of the government how long will

Netanyahu's government last? With Lieberman, it was 67 seat coalition, a strong coalition. Without, it's 61 seat, a very, very weak coalition

that's barely enough to get a majority of the Knesset. So the question now how long with Netanyahu's government last if it's a weak coalition?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIEBERMANN: Benjamin Netanyahu in charge once again of putting together a coalition government. Now the countdown begins. Not until the

start of his government, but until the end.

GIL HOFFMAN, JERUSALEM POST: Netanyahu's government was elected to a term that ends on November 5, 2019. No one thinks it will last that long.

LIEBERMANN: No Israeli government has lasted the full four year term in more than 30 years. And Netanyahu's last government fell apart after

only two.

Analysts say this coalition could be stronger than before with the right-wing government Netanyahu promised focusing on domestic issues. But

the government's strength could be its weakness.

HOFFMAN: It will be subject to tremendous international pressure. And that can make it harder to keep the government stable, especially when

there are world leaders out there who don't like Netanyahu personally.

LIEBERMANN: Netanyahu's pre-election comments that he would not allow a two-state solution under his leadership and his comments about Arab

voters have sparked criticism from the White House...

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Prime Minister Netanyahu has a different approach.

What we can't do is pretend that there's a possibility of something that's not there.

LIEBERMANN: And yet Netanyahu may have a far bigger problem.

YOAZ HENDEL, FRM. NETANYAHU COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR: His main conclusion from his first (inaudible) in the 90s was that he cannot allow

himself to be the most leftist in his own coalition.

LIEBERMANN: For Netanyahu to be able to respond to demands from within his government while handling pressures from outside of his

government, he may have to move his coalition more towards the center, that's where he's been most comfortable in his previous governments.

Analysts say that could mean reigning in the right-wing parties on controversial issues like settlements and peace talks.

HENDEL: At the end of the day, Netanyahu will find a way to expand his coalition and not to base it only on right-wing parties.

LIEBERMANN: Netanyahu's election night victory gives him all the leverage in choosing his coalition, but it'll have to balance the pressures

on his government, foreign and domestic, if he wants his coalition to last. Maybe Netanyahu has his sights set on a different goal, about one year

before his term is up he'll become the longest serving prime minister in Israeli history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIEBERMANN: Six hours left, less than six hours at this point until Netanyahu has to make that phone call to President Reuven Rivlin to say I

have a government. I have a coalition.

Becky, it's important to note right now he doesn't have to say who is in his cabinet or who is in that coalition. For that he has one more week.

Tonight, all he has to do is say that he has succeeded in getting at least 61 seats in his government.

ANDERSON: If he doesn't, then, and Herzog is asked to try to form a government, what chance that he can? And what will the implications be for

Israel at this point?

LIEBERMANN: Well, Becky, first it's not necessarily Herzog that will get the chance. That's up to the president at that point. And he has all

the power there. He will immediately become the most important person in politics.

If Herzog gets the opportunity, by the analysis, by what we're seeing and how everything shakes out, it looks like he could have a minority

government with United Arab List supporting from the outside. That, too, would be incredibly interesting.

So nothing incredibly clear just yet. Still a few hours for Netanyahu to go. Everything on the table here for Netanyahu.

ANDERSON: Yeah. Oren Liebermann on the story for you out of Jerusalem this morning.

Well, we are less than 24 hours away from the polls opening for one of the closest British general elections in decades. Prime Minister David

Cameron has kicked off his final day of campaigning in Wales. He'll be attempting to get some distance in the polls between his conservative party

and Labour's Ed Milliband who has been using social media to shore up last minute support.

He's called on supporters to, quote, vote for yourself and your family.

Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson has been following the latest on the campaign trail joining me live outside the UK

parliament right now as Big Ben ticks down -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is ticking down. And every tick it makes we're seeing the leaders of the main parties try to

race across the country. David Cameron was in the southwest this morning. And it's going all the way up the west side of England right up to Carlisle

and then crossing the border into Scotland Dumfries and Galloway trying to get as many conservative voters out as he can, trying to convince others

that they should vote for conservatives.

Ed Milliband is pretty much sort of north and center of the country -- Lancashire and Yorkshire today. He'll end up in Bradford, which is where

his seat is.

We're also seeing Nick Clegg from the Liberal Democrats doing a lot of traveling as well starting in the northwest in the Lake District. He'll go

up to one of the posher suburbs, if you will, of Glasgow, Bears Den (ph), canvassing there. And then he'll go up to Inverness. He'll visit a

distillery just outside Inverness before going right to the northern tip of Scotland.

So, as the clock ticks down quite literally behind us here, the leaders whose offices are right here are all scattered across the country

trying to make a difference in these dying hours and minutes, Becky.

[11:10:29] ANDERSON: Just how important are the fringe parties at this point?

ROBERTSON: They're important, because they are taking votes away from the major parties. They wouldn't see it that way. They believe that

they've got a constituency that supports them.

UKIP, for example, wants Britain to pull out of the European Union. They've pulled the Conservative Party to the right, made David Cameron, if

you will, concede to some of his sort of more right-wing backed ventures and offer a referendum on pulling Britain out of the European Union by

2017. It's made that pledge going into the elections.

UKIP, minority party, significant impact. SNP was minority, significant player in Scotland now, taking a lot of seats, or expected to

take a lot of seats away from Labour.

Labour, if they weren't facing this SNP landslide in Scotland would have far more seats in hand. They're expected to win more seats than over

sort of compared to the last election than the Conservatives -- compared to the last election are expected to lose.

So by the SNP doing well in Scotland that's at Labour's expense and perhaps being in a position to form a government more easily.

So it is going to be a lot of horse trading, political horse trading after the polls close and after the results become clear. It's going to be

very messy come Friday, Becky.

ANDERSON: What's the turnout likely to be, Nic?

ROBERTSON: It's going to be higher, that's what we're hearing. The sort of -- the expected turnout is being predicted at about 78 percent,

that's what people are telling pollsters when they talk to them over the phone.

Now if you go back to previous elections people have said last election that I think it was 68 percent of people said they would turn out

and vote. It ended up being 62 percent.

So there is often a drop off elections before 2005 62 percent said they would go and vote, 61 percent eventually turned up. So you can't take

those numbers at face value.

But relative to previous elections, the turnout is expected to be higher. Politicians here have been saying that this is an historic

election and people are getting the idea.

200 marginal seats in play out of 650 that what -- more people seem to feel their votes will count. And that does seem to be reflected in the

fact turnout could be higher than normal, Becky.

ANDERSON: Nic is outside the palace of Westminster.

Lots going on in the UK. And we will be continuing our UK election coverage after the break.

Coming up, Britain's role on the world stage. Will a close election mean even less influence? That is one of the questions we're going to ask.

And one of Bollywood's biggest stars is sentenced to time behind bars. We're going to have the details for you on that later this hour.

You're watching Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. It is 13 minutes past 7:00 in the UAE. Taking a short break. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:16:09] ANDERSON: I want to bring you some pictures that are just into us here at CNN. A rare public appearance today by Syria's president

to commemorate the country's Martyr's Day.

Recent setbacks suffered by regime troops saying they are a normal part of war. He spoke a day after the United Nations said it will try

again to bring warring sides together at peace talks. More than 200,000 people have died during what has been this four year conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: It is clear to me that the British parliament, reflecting the views of the British people, does not

want to see British military action. I get that and the government will act accordingly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Diminished, demoralized, defeated. The parliamentary vote against military action in Syria was a blow to David Cameron and many said

Britain's leadership in the world. More than two dozen Torries rejected Mr. Cameron's appeal to punish Damascus for alleged chemical weapons use.

The decision in 2013 you may remember was called a vote of shame by The Economist magazine.

Well, Britain's foreign policy is not expected to be a major factor in Thursday's election. The country's outsized role on the global stage

has become increasingly smaller since Mr. Cameron's defeat on Syria, the war against ISIS, Ukraine, NATO defense.

Critics say Mr. Cameron's government has been a relative no-show on many of the burning issues of the day, a weak government could ensure it

stays that way post the vote on Thursday.

Well, for some insight into how Thursday's election could change Britain's foreign policy direction, if at all, we're joined by Lord Owen --

Lord David Owen who served as Britain's foreign secretary in the late 1970s.

Sir, thank you for joining us.

Foreign policy has just not been a priority in this campaign -- why?

LORD DAVID OWEN, FRM. BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER: I think it's a deliberate decision of the government. They don't think there are votes in

having an upfront foreign policy. And particularly over the Ukraine we've been extraordinarily silent. We haven't lived up to the fact that we're

one of the four signatories to the Budapest Memorandum, for example.

ANDERSON: There's been some hand wringing in the U.S. Lord Owen, about the perceived decline in the UK's global influence. Here is what,

for example, columnist Anne Applebaum wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece in March. And I quote, "suddenly without much discussion it seems as

if Britain, a nuclear and conventional military power, a staunch U.S. ally, a pillar of NATO, has lost its historic interest in foreign policy."

The writer goes on to say, "maybe there aren't any votes in defense. But do the British really believe they will be better off in a world where

they have no influence?"

David is the UK really staggering towards strategic irrelevance do you think?

OWEN: No, I don't think so. But I agree that from Anne Applebaum's view, which is very strongly linked to how Britain has responded over the

Ukraine -- and she's got connections to Poland -- I understand that.

My new -- the European response over the Ukraine has not been very good either.

So, I'm not sure it's totally a question of British foreign policy, Europe's foreign policy.

But for example you talk about Syria. If Milliband came in, he would be strongly supportive of action over Iraq, but he would stay of the view,

and I think he was right at the time, that involving yourself militarily in Syria was the wrong policy at that time. And after all, Obama adopted it

within days.

So the ideas of Americans crowing and saying that we stopped them doing it, we didn't stop them doing it, if they wanted to do it they could

have done it. Obama was on the line of this -- of the red line variety, which is a never good thing to be done.

I don't actually believe that Syria can be resolved by outside military intervention. It desperately needs a solution. Of that, there is

no doubt. And I'd like to see Britain very actively involved in it.

[11:20:29] ANDERSON: Mr. Cameron, of course, wasn't always gun shy, certainly not during this period in administration. Here is what he had to

say to Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 as NATO forces were bombing Libya. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMERON: My message is that it is over for his regime and that the forces that remain loyal to him in Sirte and elsewhere should give

themselves up. It's over. It's finished. They are finished. They don't have a future as part of Libya.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, clearly Libya in a real mess at present as we all know.

Yeah, go on, David.

OWEN: I personally supported the policy on Libya. But again I expected, as I did over Iraq, that we'd learn our lesson, we would

understand that we had try and ensure that there was a successor regime with sufficient strength. And what's happened in Libya was why I came to

the conclusion you shouldn't go into Syria. We are not prepared to go in properly with sufficient military on the ground troops to ensure stability

post bombing attack.

ANDERSON: Do you think the UK is still willing to play a role commensurate with being a nuclear state and sitting on the security

council? And does it still want to be the go-to state for Washington, for example?

ANDERSON: Yes, I think it does. And I think it will go on doing that.

I mean, you know, look at European defense budgets. Britain is one of the highest. And I think we will continue to spend. We will retain our

nuclear weapons. And I think that our contribution to NATO will be the best of all European countries.

I don't think there's any moving back on that at all. I think that Milliband will be every bit as strong as Cameron if not probably stronger.

So I don't think there's going to be a very big shift. The big shift will be in the Middle East. There's no doubt that Milliband will be more

even-handed in dealing with Israel and Palestine. And he will be in the body of European foreign policy more. He's a natural European. He's a

very strongly committed European. He has taken a political risk by refusing to promise a referendum.

Personally, I think ultimately it will come to that. But he has a chance now as a good European to negotiate a better deal for Britain from

inside the track rather than on the outside track, which is Cameron's approach.

ANDERSON: Lord David Owen, always a pleasure having you on the show. Looking forward to the result of the election, however messy that is come

Friday morning. Thank you, sir.

Stay with CNN for an encore presentation of our UK election debate special. Join Christiane for all the debate highlights in just under an

hour. That is only on CNN.

You're live from Abu Dhabi tonight. I'm Becky Anderson. This is Connect the World.

Coming up, some call it a victory for women's rights, others say justice was only partially served. We'll look at the outcome of a closely

watched trial in Afghanistan.

But first up, though, we are off to Uganda tonight for a two-wheeled tour of the capital. African Start-up is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uganda's capital Kampala can have terrible traffic jams. But where cars can't go, there goes the motorcycle taxis called

Bodabodas operating here since the 1960s. Today, it's estimated there are more than 300,000 in Kampala.

In 2009, Walter Wandera thought of a different use for them and launched his company Walter's Tours.

WALTER WANDERA, WALTER'S TOURS: I'm here to share with you my great city Kampala. I love it so much.

So, are you ready for the adventure?

I acquired a small motorbike and I started driving just like any other bike rider you find on the streets of Kampala now. I did that for a few

months and then I just started taking little tour yeah. I was alone doing motorbike safaris and Kampala is a very beautiful city as you can see with

a lot of sites and historical places.

Right now we are at the Baha'i temple. It's the quietest place I know. I love this place. It's one of my favorite places in Kampala. It's

very quiet, beautiful and the view is amazing. We are on top of the hill, one of the 23 hills that make up Kampala.

UNIDENITIFIED FEMALE: Since starting his business, Wandera says he's taken some 1,000 tourists on tours, averaging 30 visitors a week on the 13

bikes he owns.

WANDERA: I work with a total of 25 people. That is 22 drivers and three people doing office work.

UNIDENTIFIIED FEMALE: Wandera says he trained his drivers as tour guides and to follow safety measures as bodaboda accidents are an issue in

Uganda.

WANDERA: The challenges I face mainly was trying to convince people that this is a very safe way to get around. When they come and experience

it for like the first half an hour they believe it's really safe, because we provide all these cool helmets and we drive very slowly and we have

special training for the drivers.

So, we've not had any problem.

Most people they have small, small markets like just on the road. And they are selling all these small local foods and used products.

One of the future things I would want to see in my company is if it can grow bigger to the extent that we can have more people employed, and

also if we can expand to other cities, maybe all over Uganda, that's one of the big dreams I have.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:43] ANDERSON: At just after half past 7:00 in the UAE, this is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. You're watching CNN. These are

the top stories for you this hour.

And a new report on the Germanwings crash suggests the co-pilot rehearsed the controlled descent he would use to bring the plane down. It

says while he was alone in the cockpit during the preceding flight, Andres Lubitz plugged in various altitude scenarios that could take the plane to

100 feet.

Well, with less than a day to go until the closest general election the UK has seen in decades. Opinion polls still show a dead heat between

the Conservative and Labour Parties. Politicians are spending this final day of campaigning trying to break the deadlock.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad has made a rare public appearance in Damascus. He attended a ceremony for Martyr's Day. He spoke of the army

saying setbacks are part of war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASHAR AL-ASSAD, PRESIDENT OF SYRIA (through translator): Syria is currently waging a war, not just a battle. And wars are a series of many

battles. And when one is talking about a war as vicious as the ones taking place in Syria, then this involves thousands of battles. And it's natural

for this type of battle with the numbers and conditions involved in them to have them shift between attack and defense, wins and losses and ups and

downs.

But the important thing is for faith in the inevitability of victory to remain unchanging.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRESON: That's the story in Syria.

Some news just coming in to CNN now. And the latest reports of fighting in Yemen. Officials there tell us at least 22 people died when

shells struck their boat as they fled Aden. Dozens more are said to be missing. No word yet on who may have fired the shells.

The country, of course, has been embroiled in a civil war since Shiite Houthi militia overthrew the government in Sanaa.

The shelling comes amid word of heavy clashes underway in another part of Aden between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to the ousted President Abd

Rabbuh Manur Hadi.

We'll bring you details on this latest attack as they become available.

Well, to a divided Libya now and a crisis that rumbles on despite efforts to resolve it. UN-backed talks to bring the rival governments

together are failing. Extremist groups, including ISIS, are taking advantage of the political vacuum there.

One man vowing to save Libya from a militant threat is General Khalifa Haftar. He was appointed army chief back in March and has been gaining

support ever since. But there are still some reservations over his appointment with some calling him a vigilante and a polarizing figure.

In an exclusive interview, I asked the general himself if those allegations are true.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAFTAR (through translator): That's just one opinion. And we can't control people's opinions. We want to rescue libya from what's going on.

Libya has been exposed to barbaric enemies, terrorists who came from all over. So we're dealing with this appropriately.

We were hoping the United Nations security council empathizes with the Libyans and gives them the same attention it gave to the migrants, so

that our nation could be happy and put an end to human trafficking.

ANDERSON: Not everybody watching this interview would consider your opponents terrorists.

Leaving aside the footprint that ISIS has in the country today, do you lump everybody together for effect at this point?

HAFTAR (through translator): We differentiate between militias and terrorists.

First, I'd like to start with terrorists, who include Ansar al Sharia, DAESH and al Qaeda. All those groups came to Libya and Libyans reject

their presence, because they came with an ideology of killing and slaughter in every form.

The Libyan nation rejects this completely.

ANDERSON: Can I just stop you for one moment there? Just how significant is the footprint of ISIS in Libya today?

[11:35:02] HAFTAR (through translator): Their size is not insignificant. About 7,000 members distributed throughout from Zwara (ph)

to Derna, including Benghazi, Ashdabiya (ph), Nofaliya (ph) and Sirte.

ANDERSON: You regularly suggest that you have nearly won in Benghazi. But in the east you have a lot of air power and very little man power. In

the west, you have a lot of manpower, but very little air power. I put it to you again, there seems to be no military solution here, and yet you seem

intent on pursuing the military solution.

HAFTAR (through translator): There's no doubt we always prefer a political solution, but it's no failure if we destroy these militias by

force.

With the terrorists, we don't even talk about a political solution. We don't deal with them unless it is by force.

As for the Libyan militias, we do prefer a political solution. They are our sons and brothers, so certainly we prefer a political solution.

ANDERSON: Let me ask you about your personal ambitions. Do you have ambition to lead the country going forward? And which Arab state best

represents your hope for Libya -- Egypt, for example?

HAFTAR (through translator): Right now we are thinking of ending the pain of the Libyan people. Our ambition for Libya is for it to be safe and

secure, have the rule of law, somewhere where people are happy. This is our ambition.

ANDERSON: So you're not writing off the idea of being the Libyan president one day?

HAFTAR (through translator): As I've always said, the nation is a master of the situation. If the nation wants it, we will follow its lead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: General Haftar speaking to me a couple of days ago.

Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Coming up, Bollywood in shock as one of its most bankable stars is

convicted of killing a man.

And some call it a victory for women's rights, others say justice was only partially served. We'll look at the outcome of what has been a

closely watched trial in Afghanistan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: This is CNN and Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back at 39 minutes past 7:00 here.

I want to get you to Afghanistan where a court has sentenced four men to death for the brutal mob killing of a young woman.

Now the murder in broad daylight outraged the nation, and indeed the world, triggering unprecedented protests about the treatment of Afghan

women.

Kush Bushar (ph) has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[11:40:08] KUSH BUSHAR (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT: Outside a mosque in Central Kabul, a mob of men screaming long live Islam, surging, kicking and

beating a 27-year-old woman named Farcunda. Then setting her on fire before throwing her body in the river. The men claimed she burned a Quran,

accusations later found to have been lies.

The attack shocked Afghanistan and the world and started a wave of events never before seen in the capital, unleashing massive protests, rage

and demand for change in the streets, women holding up Farcunda's face over their own, men joining the march.

And when it came time to bury Farcunda, another first for a country plagued by women's rights abuses, the women of Kabul carried her coffin

through the streets.

The swift investigation and trial broadcast nationwide is another sign of how deeply the attack hit home.

Four men were sentenced to death on Wednesday, eight others received 16 year sentences. Swift sentencing from the courts. The country waits

for 19 police officers involved to be sentenced next week.

Small signs of change and a small victory for a horrific crime.

Kush Buhar (ph), CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, 18 others suspected of being part of that vicious mob were found not guilty. Prominent Afghan lawmaker Fawzia Koofi is among the

critics who say justice was only partially served. She is a woman's rights activist and was on the independent commission investigating the case. She

joins us now live from Kabul.

And we are very pleased to have you.

You are not satisfied with the sentences: why?

FAWZIA KOOFI, AFGHAN LAWMAKER: Well, Becky, it was one of the cases that was closely watched by the whole nation, because the way she was

killed, the way Farcunda was killed, was not repeated in our history. She was killed very brutally with a wrong accusations. And that indicated how

poor the systems of Afghanistan are when it comes to protection of women, or any citizen.

But I think when it comes to the women, it indicated how poor the system are.

And so therefore, it was very important for us to restore the trust of the nation, in particular the woman, to the system and to the process in

Afghanistan. And therefore, we had to closely watch it.

So there are a few observations on this court. First of all, we were between two extremes. One extreme was that it was under a lot of hurry.

The court decided on the death sentence for four people, which is one extreme. And then the other extreme was that they released 18 people who

some of them in a way were involved in motivating the public or motivating the people in that area when she was killed.

So I think we were in the -- and between two extremes, it was important for us to bring justice for Farcunda. It's also important that

we don't violate other justice, because as women's...

ANDERSON: Yeah, sure. OK...

KOOFI: ...somebody who believe in justice -- yeah.

ANDERSON: All right.

Let me just put this to you. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, and you will remember this, strongly condemned Farcunda's murder at the time. One

TV in Afghanistan quotes him as saying the horrific incident, harassment, torture and murder of a girl was extremely un-Islamic and inhuman."

Those were strong words. And we discussed those at the time. And I spoke to you on the day of Facunda's funeral. You said that you did

believe the intention of the Afghan government is to protect women and to encourage women's rights. But you said to me at the time that you need to

see action.

Do you not see this decision as a start in at least the right direction? And are you seeing the sort of action that you want to see

going forward?

KOOFI: Absolutely, absolutely. We needed to demonstrate to the nation that there is a responsible government that is responsible to

implement the rule of law, that is responsible to protect the citizens, and particularly the women.

And this was a start. It was a beginning, because you know women of Afghanistan need to trust in particularly when the court -- the judge today

referred in his decision to the law on violence against women, which is a contradictory law in Afghanistan, many kind of extreme figures think that

this is anti-Islamic, but the judge actually today referred to that law was somehow an achievement for us.

In the meantime, we also want to be realistic. It was a beginning. We also want to reform those mistakes that were in this primary court in

the penal court.

So therefore we want to avoid any kind of extreme. We want to be a very fair and justice, so that we don't create backlashes when it comes to

the women.

So it's important that we be fair and we implement justice, it's important that the nation understands that there is a responsible

government, which protects the women's rights and if you kill a woman, it's not your right even if she commits something wrong...

[11:45:51] ANDERSON: I know there are many, many -- yeah, there are many...

And there are many acts that go unprosecuted in Afghanistan, which is completely wrong. Women's rights were of course the touchstone of U.S.-led

conflict in Afghanistan nearly a decade-and-a-half on.

You're saying that institutions have been established. And women do play a part in politics. And you're a great example of that. Why, then,

are those institutions so ineffective do you think in protecting Afghanistan's women today?

KOOFI: I think because this phenomenon of woman involvement in politics and social life to the extend that we have it now is somehow new

after that extreme years of Taliban and civil war in Afghanistan.

So I think first of all many people don't take really the women's rights issue very serious. And particularly in the past 13 years when it

comes to the courts and judges and to our justice system there was a culture of impunity when (inaudible) perpetrators of women's rights

violation.

The police is not sensitive enough -- you know, the police in Afghanistan is basically a battlefield police, a police that basically

fight. And as a result of that, we lose many of the police officers on a daily basis because they are a battlefield police.

While they have to also understand their role as people in charge of rule of law and order in the country.

So, even -- when we looked at the system, through our investigation in the committee, we came to understand that -- or we came to the point that

some of the police officers, some of the people who are in charge of enforcing rule of law, they had their understanding that it's her right to

be killed, because she did something wrong.

So, we really need to build that capacity. We really need to make women issue as a national agenda, not just a you know a kind of a slogan

during our elections, but actually a more meaningful and national issue in Afghanistan.

ANDERSON: With that we're going to leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us. It's always a pleasure having you on the show.

Thank you.

Live form Abu Dhabi, you're watching Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Coming up, a Bollywood superstar gets prison time. We'll have

reaction from India after Salman Khan is sentenced.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:03] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: A bonafide Indian megastar now a fallen idol. Bollywood icon Salman Khan faces five years in prison

after being found guilty of culpable homicide for his role in a 2002 hit and run case.

The verdict breathlessly reported wall-to-wall on Indian TV. Khan has a fan following of tens of millions, not just in India, but around the

world.

For almost three decades, Khan has been a heart throb, an action hero, a man of the people.

High powered friends have leaped to his defense pointing to Khan's track record of Philanthropy. "I stand for the man who stands for

everyone," tweeted the singer Mika Singh (ph). "Your fans are with you."

Khan has said he wasn't behind the wheel, but the court found the he was driving and that he was drunk that right 12 years ago when five

homeless men sleeping on a Mumbai pavement were hit, one of them killed.

After the verdict, CNN's Indian affiliate spoke with the widow of the man who died.

"I didn't know how to get by. My little children had to wash cars to get money to eat," she says.

For her and the other victims, it is justice at long last.

Khan is going to appeal the verdict, but there is a certain irony to this case with a victory for the little guys against a big, rich superstar.

It almost follows the script of a Bollywood movie 12 years on the Indian legal system delivering a verdict many thought unlikely, a verdict that has

rocked the country.

Ravi Argawal, CNN, New Delhi, India.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, with Salman Khan now convicted of killing a man is that it for the career of one of Bollywood's most bankable stars? Well,

let's ask Manjusha Radhakrishnan. She is a senior reporter for Gulf News here in the UAE and joins me now.

Why did this case take so long?

MANJUSHA RADHAKRISHNAN, GULF NEWS: When you're a star I guess it takes time for the judiciary to take its toll. He's got the best defense

lawyers on his side. And he appealed at every turn. So, I guess it just took 13 years for the verdict to be finally rolled out.

ANDERSON: And he will continue to appeal this verdict.

RADHAKRISHNAN: That (inaudible)...

ANDERSON: You know his friends and family.

RADHAKRISHNAN: That's true.

Oh, he's a movie star. He's not an easy star to deal with. So he's dictated by how he feels that day. For instance, he may give you a

fantastic interview today and tomorrow when you meet him he may be in a sully mood and cancel all interviews. So that's how it goes with him.

So, he's got like a checkered personality. So, you know, there are gray areas about him. He's -- it all depends on his mood.

ANDERSON: Since this verdict was handed down, you've spoken to some of his friends. What do they say?

RADHAKRISHNAN: All his friends in the UAE and in the industry support him wholeheartedly. They define him as this -- they describe him as this

person with a heart of gold and that he could do no wrong. And he's done his penance. According to them -- they are willing to condone what he did

in 2002 killing a person maybe since he has done so many good deeds after.

So, in some ways they support him wholeheartedly and they pray for his family. So it's kind of like a godlike devotion towards him.

ANDERSON: Outside of India this must be one of the biggest Bollywood supporting regions. There is an enormous Indian diaspora here. I know

your work is read by so many people.

How is the UAE and its Indian population here feel about this?

RADHAKRISHNAN: They -- it's mixed reactions. On Twitter, we have seen many saying that it's about time that justice is served. Although

delayed, it's finally served.

And there are those who feel that he has been wronged because a celebrity. He's been given a harsher sentence.

So people are not able to demarcate between Salman the star and Salman the civilian. That's the problem, you know.

ANDERSON: This isn't the first case against a Bollywood star, is it? This actually...

RADHAKRISHNAN: No, that's right. Even (inaudible) sentenced to prison two years ago. So he's not the first star.

And Salman Khan it's not the first time he's serving time in prison either. In the 1990s he had shot down endangered species of animals and

then he spent a week in prison. So even that (inaudible).

ANDERSON: So what happened to his career going forward?

RADHAKRISHNAN: Ah, there's like $30 million riding on his shoulders right now on this verdict. So on Friday, he's got interim bail now. So on

Friday if he chooses bail application gets rejected, then you know, producers stand to lose a lot of money and he's got clothes, millions of

rupees riding on his endorsements.

So, we're talking about a lot of money. There are people standing to lose a lot of money.

But he's not been (inaudible) too many movies, except for two movies that could -- that has a makings of a blockbuster.

So, they say it's 60 percent complete. so...

[11:55:02] ANDERSON: When you talk about Bollywood blockbusters, remind us just what we are talking about here. How many people watch them?

And how much do they make?

RADHAKRISHNAN: Oh, they make more than 100 (inaudible). We're talking about like millions of rupees just going.

If Salman is in a movie, then it's kind of guaranteed to be a hit. It's usually released around the festive holidays like Eid. So people just

flock to the theaters. They don't look for a script in a Bollywood movie, because they're just happy to see this macho guy act like a good Samaritan

like for instance Dabung (ph), which was one of the highest grossers in Bollywood. He was a cheeky cutup cop, but he was like this modern-day

Robin Hood.

So, people confuse his on screen persona to the real person. So they buy whatever he does on the big screen. So he has that kind of clout.

So we're talking about billions of rupees riding on his shoulders.

ANDERSON: Amazing. Fascinating story. And thank you very much indeed for joining us this evening.

You're watching Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. A story that has divided Indians and Bollywood fans around the world.

Let us know what you think. You can tell us about that. You can talk to us about any of the stories that we've been covering tonight, any of the

headline stories. You can use the Facebook page of course. That is Facebook.com/CNNConnect.

You can also tweet me. That is @BeckyCNN. That is @BeckyCNN.

And do really tell us what you think.

A reminder, stay with CNN for what is a presentation of our UK election debate special. Join Christiane Amanpour for all the debate

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END