In response to the 20-year jail sentence for blasphemy handed down to journalist student Parwez Kambakhsh by an appellate court in Afghanistan today, we issued this statement …
“Even though Kambakhsh’s death penalty was overturned, today’s sentencing is a great disappointment and a setback for the rights of free expression in Afghanistan. We hope that the Supreme Court will overturn this unjust decision. Given that Kambakhsh is in jail, we urge the court to hear this appeal as quickly as possible,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Bob Dietz.