Afghan Journalist Appeals Death Sentence For Insulting Islam
Gulf News
Kabul: An Afghan journalism student sentenced to death for allegedly insulting Islam told an appeals court on Sunday he confessed to writing materials that questioned the religion’s treatment of women because he was tortured. He denied all charges against him.
During a packed hour-long hearing, a judge read a transcript of the proceedings against 24-year-old Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh on January 22 at a lower court in northern Balkh province.
It was the first time that full details have been revealed of the closed-door trial, which reflected the influence of conservative religious attitudes in post-Taliban Afghanistan’s burgeoning justice system. The verdict sparked an international outcry.
Kambakhsh was studying journalism at Balkh University in Mazar-i-Sharif and writing for local newspapers when he was arrested on October 27.
The transcript said he disrupted his university classes by asking questions about women’s rights under Islam. It also said he distributed an article on the subject and wrote an additional three paragraphs for the piece.
The only people with him in the courtroom during the January hearing in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif were three judges, a court scribe and the prosecutor. Kambakhsh said he had no defence lawyer, and only three minutes to defend himself.
He was transferred to Pul-e Charkhi prison on March 27, and his case was moved to Kabul, where rights groups believed he would have a fair trial.
On Sunday, Kambakhsh spoke in the appeals court in Kabul, again without a defence lawyer.
“I’m Muslim, and I would never let myself write such an article. All these accusations are nonsense,” he said, standing before the judge and addressing the court through a microphone in an emotional 15-minute statement.
“These accusations come from two professors and other students because of private hostilities against me. I was tortured by the intelligence service in Balkh province, and they made me confess that I wrote three paragraphs in this article.”
He did not give any further details about the alleged torture.
According to the Balkh court proceedings, the prosecutor said Kambakhsh admitted writing three paragraphs of the article and had initialled them.
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Its hard to imagine that the US, Canada, The Brits and others have sacrificed so much in Afghanistan and it becomes a place where people still get death for “insulting Islam”.
hell why dont we just bring back the fuc*ing Taliban. Its messed up that the government there lets this stuff still happen
and Mazar-i-Sharif, wasnt that where the prison uprise happened and we found John Walker?
May 18th, 2008 at 6:51 amI saw our soldiers come home and defend our country and let these ignorant bastards fight it out amongst themselves.
May 18th, 2008 at 7:00 amAfghanistan is just a tad better than the Talibanistan that existed before the present Afghan government. Their problem is still the same: Islam. Both governments are stuck in 7th century mindsets.
Afghanistan isn’t the central pivot-point in the GWOT anyways. Even OBL has admitted that Iraq is.
I would add Waziristan, Iran and Saudi to that list.
It would take one nuke with one MIRV warhead to finish this war. One for Saudi, one for Waziristan, and one for Tehran.
Afghanistan is a wasted place. If those people want to live in the slavery of Islam…let em.
I’m all for smashing jihadi heads…but lets do it right. Right Flank, forward march to Waziristan.
In Iraq, right flank, forward march into Iran.
May 18th, 2008 at 7:15 amI’m really fed up with this idiotic “insulting Islam” bullshit! Since when can you “insult” a fucking religion?!
These muzzie fucks are just pissed off every time somebody refuses to kowtow to their pedophile moon-god-worshipping freak prophet. It really burns them that there are billions of people who have better things to do than shove their asses up into the air five times and day and babble in Arabic when they’re not stoning women for flashing their ankles.
Whenever I hear about somebody “insulting Islam” I want to send them a bottle of scotch.
The sooner the world is rid of these murderous, woman-hating shirtlifters, the better. Who the fuck will miss any of them?!
May 18th, 2008 at 9:24 amI think it is time to pack up! This shit is just to stupid to even imagine. Modern social values cannot be taught to these creatures of the year 700! Nuke them til they glow if that’s what it takes!
FUCK ISLAM!
May 18th, 2008 at 10:09 amDan has it right on. Right Flank, forward march to Waziristan.
We need to hit the Pakistani tribal areas, smash the actual threat to our country and the world which is AQ bases there and then when we’re satisfied that they have been crippled we should just get the fuck out of Afghanistan and let these backward fools live their lives. As long as they are no threat to us.
Isnt it funny that the Dems want us out of Iraq while there are great things going on in that country and a functioning, basically secular government. while they support Afghanistan which has completely reverted back to 7th century law again. I support Afghanistan and support our troops wherever they are but its just hard to be too happy about the way the Afghans have handled their new found ‘freedom’. it really has me fired up to be honest with you.
May 18th, 2008 at 10:25 amThis is why islam is a religion of death, bondage and evil against God and mankind. There is but one Satan and Muhammad is his great false prophet.
May 18th, 2008 at 11:16 am