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AFGHANISTAN. SENATE REVOKES SUPPORT OF DEATH SENTENCE
February 2, 2008: the Afghan Senate withdrew its demand for the death sentence for Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, following protests from the public and media, a report said.
Kambaksh, a 23 year old journalism student, was sentenced to death after downloading information about Afghan women's rights.
"The upper house respects the rights of the accused, such as the right to have a defence lawyer, the right of appeal and other legal rights," the Senate said in a statement.
"But approval of the death sentence, in the statement published recently from the address of the upper house, was a technical mistake."
Fundamentalist Muslim clergymen argue that Kambaksh should not have the usual appeal rights because he was found guilty of a blasphemous religious crime, The Independent reported. (Sources: UPI, 02/02/2008)
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