Afghanistan: Sayed Pervez Kambakhsh's Sentence Commuted to 20 Years

At least it's not death:

An Afghan appeals court overturned a death sentence Tuesday for a journalism student accused of blasphemy for asking questions in class about women's rights under Islam. But the judges still sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

The case against 24-year-old Parwez Kambakhsh, whose brother has angered Afghan warlords with his own writing, has come to symbolize Afghanistan's slide toward an ultraconservative view on religious and individual freedoms.

At least one witness claimed he was intimidated into falsely testifying against Kambakhsh at his first trial in January. Right now, Kambakhsh, 24, is slated to spend 20 years in the infamous Pul-i Charkhi prison for the crime of “questioning Islam.”


The Pul-i Charkhi prison, just east of Kabul. Google Map here

Kambakhsh's case was covered previously by both Global Voices and Global Voices Advocacy.

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