AFGHANISTAN. JOURNALIST MAY ESCAPE DEATH PENALTY
February 6, 2008: "I am not worried for his life. I'm sure Afghanistan's justice system will find the best way to avoid this sentence," Najib Manalai, from the Afghanistan Culture Ministry, said regarding Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, a student journalist convicted of violating Islamic law for distributing information regarding women's rights.
Louise Arbour, the UN human rights advocate, reminded the Afghan government of its responsibility to protect freedom of speech. Manalai said violating Islamic law is "one of the biggest offences you can do," but added Islam teaches avoiding the punishment of someone who isn't guilty. (Sources: United Press International, 06/02/2008)
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