Blasphemy nets man 20 years

Los Angeles Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — In a case that has illustrated this country’s drift toward a more radically conservative brand of Islam as well as the fragility of its legal system, an appeals court on Tuesday overturned a death sentence for a student convicted of blasphemy but sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

The 24-year-old student, Parwiz Kambakhsh, ran afoul of Afghan authorities last year when he circulated an article about women’s rights under Islam after downloading it from the Internet. He was studying at the time in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, where he also worked as a part-time journalist for local newspapers.

Arrested by security police and initially held without charges, eventually he was tried on blasphemy charges, convicted and sentenced to death.

Tuesday’s ruling by a three-judge panel of an appeals court was a blow to human-rights groups and advocates of media freedom who have championed Kambakhsh’s cause.