Last
updated: 08/02/2008
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Pervez
The
death-penalty imposed on an Afghan student has caused worldwide outrage
and protest.
Student journalist Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, 23, was sentenced to death
after being accused of downloading an internet report on women’s
rights.
The death penalty was backed by the Afghan Senate on January 30. The
motion was proposed by a Senator who is a key ally of President Karzai.
Kambaksh, was arrested, tried and convicted by a religious court, in
what his friends and family say was a secret session without being allowed
legal representation.
President Karzai has been inundated with pleas to save Kambaksh’s
life with the United Nations, human rights groups, journalists’
organisations and diplomats urging his government to quash the death
sentence and release him.
While international protests mounted over the affair, with the British
Government saying it had already raised its concerns, hundreds of people
marched through the capital, Kabul, demanding Kambaksh’s release.
Instead the Afghan senate passed a motion confirming the death sentence.
The MP who proposed the ruling condemning Kambaksh was Sibghatullah
Mojadedi, a key ally of Mr Karzai.
Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, said that Britain had raised Kambaksh’s
case as a member of the European Union and with the United Nations,
as well as strongly supporting a call by the UN special representative
to Afghanistan for a review of the verdict.
“We are opposed to the death penalty in all cases and believe
that freedom of expression is one of the cornerstones of a democratic
society,” he said.
The British Government is funding training for journalists in the country
as part of an effort to create a civic society.
William Hague, the shadow Foreign Secretary, said, “We call upon
President Karzai and his government to urgently reconsider the decision
to sentence Pervez Kambaksh to death. Mr Kambaksh was tried without
being allowed any legal representation. Moving towards the rule of law
is a vital part of peace-building in Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan
cannot feel secure unless protected by a body of law and a functioning
judicial system.”
The Independent has launched a petition to try and secure justice for
Kambaksh. After just 24-hours it had had attracted more than 13,500
signatories and a number of support groups have been set up on Facebook
with more than 400 joining one group alone.
In a Commons plea to Harriet Harman, the Leader of the House, the Liberal
Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael, chairman of the all-party group for
the abolition of the death penalty, said, “I draw the Leader of
the House’s attention particularly to the front page of The Independent
which highlights the case of Sayed Pervez Kambaksh... Surely, given
our current involvement in that country... we will not just sit back
and allow this monstrous act to take place without doing anything about
it?”
Harman replied, “The Government are determined to stand up for
human rights, including freedom of speech, in all countries, and are
of course concerned about the matter.”
Carmichael has put down an early day motion urging the British Government
to intercede to save Mr Kambaksh’s life.
Among the pleas received by President Karzai the International Federation
of Journalists, based in Brussels, stated, “Upholding freedom
of expression is essential for your country’s democratic progress.
This death sentence indicates a disregard by your government
for its own constitution.”
In their letter the Committee to Protect Journalists, based in New York,
expressed concern that the trial was held in secret and that any appeal
process would be biased. “He should be allowed to resume his studies
without delay or punishment,” it said.
The more pressure
that can be put on President Karzai, the more likely it is that Kambaksh’s
sentence will be revoked.
Add your voice to The Independent’s campaign by urging the Foreign
Office to put all possible pressure on the Afghan government to spare
his life. Sign the e-petition at independent.co.uk/petition
