Afghanistan: More international pressure needed
Published: June 25, 2008
English PEN remains deeply concerned by the continuing delay in the hearing of journalist Sayed Parvez Kambakhsh's appeal against a death sentence for the alleged crime of "blasphemy".
The appeal hearing at the Kabul Appeal Court has been adjourned four times since it opened on 18 May 2008. No date has been set for the next hearing.
English PEN calls upon its members to seek meetings with their Foreign Ministries, to raise publicity in their local press, and if possible to send observers to the trial. Furthermore, we urge President Hamid Karzai to personally intervene in this case as a matter of urgency, and continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh in accordance with Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Background:
According to PEN's information, twenty-three year-old Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh, journalism student at Balkh university and reporter for the local daily Jahan-e-Naw (The New World), was arrested on 27 October 2007 in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province, northern Afghanistan for distributing allegedly anti-Islamic literature. He was detained by National Directorate of Security (NDS) forces on blasphemy charges after allegedly downloading and distributing to friends an article that said the Prophet Mohammed ignored women's rights. He was not the author of the article. He was also reportedly accused of possessing allegedly anti-Islamic books and starting un-Islamic debates in his classes.
Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh was tried by an Islamic court in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province, on 22 January 2008, and sentenced to death. The trial was reportedly held behind closed doors, and he had no legal representation. Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh is feared to be targeted for association with his brother, prominent journalist Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi, who works for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting and has been under escalating pressure for his critical reporting on local officials and warlords. According to his brother, Kambakhsh's health is seriously deteriorating in prison as a result of poor prison conditions and severe psychological stress. Kambakhsh claims to have signed a confession under torture.
Please send appeals:
• Expressing shock at the death sentence handed down to journalist Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh on blasphemy charges;
• Calling for President Karzai to intervene to secure his immediate and unconditional release in accordance with Afghan law and Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Appeals to:
His Excellency Hamid Karzai
President of the Islamic State of Afghanistan
Kabul
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Mr Hameed Nasry Wardak
Spokesperson
Ministry of Information and Cultural Affairs
Afghanistan
E-mail: hameednasry@yahoo.com
Mr Humayun Hamidzada
Spokesperson for President Karzai
Afghanistan
If possible please send appeals via the Ambassador for Afghanistan, asking for their comments:
H.E. Dr Mohammad Rahim SHERZOY
Embassy of Afghanistan in London
31 Prince's Gate
London SW7 1QQ