p2pnet news | Freedom:- The growing power of online intervention has again been demonstrated in the case of student Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, sentenced to execution after being convicted of blasphemy for downloading a report on women’s rights.

An initial ruling supporting the death sentence was imposed in a religious court by Sibghatullah Mojaddedi, “a key ally of President Karzai, and was seen as a severe blow to the 23-year-old journalism student’s chances of avoiding execution,” says the Independent, which organised a petition linked to by blogs and web sites from every part of the globe.

Now the Afghan Senate has done a complete about face.

“The new stance, in which the Senate calls its previous decision ‘a technical mistake’, significantly raises hopes that he will eventually be freed,” says the story,

In Britain, “the Foreign Secretary David Miliband, the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and the shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague, backed the campaign, and there have been demonstrations in the Afghan capital, Kabul,” says the newspaper.

“The upper house respects the rights of the accused, such as the right to have a defence lawyer, the right of appeal and other legal rights. But approval of the death sentence, in the statement published recently from the address of the upper house, was a technical mistake,” the senata decided, accroding to the Independent.

Kambaksh can now petition the court of appeal against both his conviction and sentence, “and, afterwards, the supreme court,” says the story, adding:

“If he fails there, he can appeal directly to Mr Karzai – who has been inundated with emails about the case – for a pardon. Mr Kambaksh’s brother, Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi, welcomed the new position adopted by the Senate.

“He added, however, that he might have difficulties finding lawyers to present the case at the appeal court after warnings from fundamentalist groups against people ‘allying themselves with the apostate’. He said the only realistic chance of his brother being freed might be the personal intervention of Mr Karzai.”

Slashdot it!

Also See:

Independent – Lifeline for Pervez: Afghan Senate withdraws demand for death sentence, February 2, 2008

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