His Excellency Omar Samad
Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to Canada
240 Argyle Ave.
Ottawa, Ontario,
K2P 1B9

October 23, 2008

Dear Ambassador,

I am writing on behalf of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), a non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect press freedom and freedom of expression around the world.

CJFE is dismayed by the recent decision of a Kabul appeal court that sentenced Sayad Parwez Kambaksh to 20 years in prison for blasphemy. Kambaksh, a 24-year-old Afghan journalism student, was arrested in October 2007, for distributing an article in class from the Internet dealing with the rights of women in Islamic society. In January 2008, without legal representation, a three-judge panel sentenced him to death. That trial reportedly lasted four minutes. That death sentence has now been overturned on appeal.

CJFE believes that the appeal process did not meet international standards of a fair trial. For instance, Kambaksh's defence lawyer, Mohammad Afzal Nooristani, was not allowed to meet the witnesses until the night before the trial. There have also been reports that Kambaksh has been tortured while in prison.

CJFE urges your government as a signatory to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights to uphold the rights of all Afghan citizens to freedom of expression under Article 19. This has been ratified in Afghanistan's constitution under Article 34 which states "freedom of expression shall be inviolable". We call on the government of Afghanistan to ensure that the constitutional rights of Sayad Parwez Kambaksh are respected. We call for the sentence to be overturned, the charges to be withdrawn, and for Sayad Parwez Kambaksh to be released.

We thank you for your attention and look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Arnold Amber, President

CC: Mr. Ron Hoffmann, Canada's Ambassador to Afghanistan
Mr. Leonard Edwards, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ms. Elissa Golberg, Representative of Canada in Kandahar