Amnesty International is pushing for action on the case of a university student in Afghanistan who has been sentenced to death for distributing materials from the internet examining the role of women in Islam.
From the Amnesty site:
“Prisoner of conscience sentenced to death in Afghanistan
Afghan university student and journalist Perwiz Kambakhsh was sentenced to death on a charge of blasphemy on 22 January in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif in Balkh province. Before the trial began, local religious leaders had called for him to be executed for causing offence to Islam. His trial took place in a closed session of the provincial lower court and he had no legal representation.
Perwiz Kambakhsh was convicted under the blasphemy laws for allegedly downloading material from the internet that examined the role of women in Islam and distributing it at Balkh University. His brother Yaqub Ibrahimi has filed an appeal on his behalf. If the appeal is rejected by both the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, his sentence will be passed for review to President Karzai, who under the Constitution is authorised to approve it, commute the sentence or pardon Perwiz Kambakhsh altogether.”
Read the rest of the article and suggestions for action here.
AUSTRALIANS AGAINST CAPITAL PUNISHMENT 