AFGHANISTAN. COURT SENDS DEATH SENTENCE JOURNALIST TO HOSPITAL

June 1, 2008: Afghanistan's appeal court referred a reporter sentenced to death on blasphemy charges to hospital for medical tests after he said he was tortured by security forces who fractured his nose.
Perwiz Kambakhsh, arrested late October and sentenced to death in January, denied the charges and alleged security forces used torture to force him into a confession.
His defence lawyer, Mohammad Afzal Nuristani, repeated the allegation in court and requested the 23 year old reporter be referred to hospital for forensic tests.
"My client has been tortured while in custody. He has suffered a fracture to his nose and damage to his wrist," he said. Judge Abdul Salam Qazaizada agreed to allow the reporter to undergo tests and adjourned the case until the results were available. (Sources: Agence France Presse, 01/06/2008)