It is, of course, a matter of celebration that the young Afghani journalist, Parwiz Kambakhsh, will not be executed for having downloaded and distributed material from the internet about the rights of women under Islam. But the 20-year jail sentence he must serve instead is disgraceful.
Kambakhsh (aka Pervez Kambaksh) was spared the death sentence by an Afghan appeal court that overturned the original ruling by a lower court, which adjudged him guilty of blasphemy for distributing anti-Islamic material. He was detained in October last year while studying journalism in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
He may yet have that sentence reduced because one appeal judge said he still has a further right of appeal.
Several press organisations, such as Reporters Without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists campaigned on his behalf. The Independent launched a petition to save Kambakhsh that attracted more than 100,000 signatures. (Via Dawn)
