[Marxism] Afghanistan: Spare the life of journalist Parviz Kambakhsh! Free him immediately! (Urgent Appeal)

[glparramatta]

[please excuse duplicate postings; please circulate widely]
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*INTERNATIONAL APPEAL*
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*- Spare the life of journalist Parviz Kambakhsh! *
*- Free him immediately!*
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*We hold the governments of the NATO occupying troops responsible for 
his life.*
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Parviz Kambakhsh, a 23-year-old Afghani student has just been sentenced 
to death after three months of detention under terrible conditions in 
the state security's detention centre in Marzar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan.

Now in his third year of a journalism course at Balkh University in 
Mazar-e-Sharif, Parviz Kambakhsh also works as a journalist for the 
newspaper/ Jahan-e Naw/.
The young journalist was thrown into prison after being characterised as 
an atheist and an opponent of the regime by the NDS, the Karzai regime's 
security service. He is also accused of having printed atheist articles 
off the internet and distributed them among his classmates.

Kambakhsh was tortured continuously during his detention, both 
physically and mentally, and even threatened with death if he did not 
admit to the charges leveled against him.

He has not had access to a lawyer. He has not been allowed to see 
members of his family or friends.

The death sentence was delivered in his absence and in secret by Balkh 
Province Attorney General Hafizullah Khaliqyar and by the court in 
Marzar-e-Sharif.
In 2001, when the war started with the invasion and occupation of 
Afghanistan under the aegis of NATO, the occupying troops from the 
United States, France, Italy and Germany talked about re-establishing 
democracy and democratic rights and freedoms.

The Karzai regime that was put in place by the occupying forces has 
reintroduced Sharia law as the basic law of the land, with the support 
of all the states participating in the occupation and the war.
It is precisely in the name of the Sharia law that the young journalist 
Parviz Kambakhsh has been sentenced to death for circulating documents 
downloaded from the internet.

We, the undersigned journalists and defenders of human rights and 
fundamental freedoms, call on the Karzai government, NATO and the 
occupying forces from the United States, France, Italy and Germany, to say:

- Spare the life of journalist Parviz Kambakhsh!
- Free him immediately!
*- We hold the governments of the NATO occupying troops responsible for 
his life.*
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*Appeal initiated by:*
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*Tristan MALLE General Secretary, on behalf of the General Union of 
Journalists, Force Ouvrière (France), and Jean Pierre BARROIS  Senior 
Lecturer, University of Paris 12*
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*- Spare the life of journalist Parviz Kambakhsh!
- Free him immediately!*
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*ENDORSEMENT COUPON*
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[   ]   I endorse this appeal to spare the life of Parviz Kambakhsh!*
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*NAME:

ORG/UNION/TITLE (list if for id. only):

CITY:

COUNTRY*:*
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EMAIL*:*
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*Please fill out and return to*
e-mail : <j-p.barrois at wanadoo.fr> with a copy to <ilcinfo at earthlink.net>
Postal Address: Syndicat Général Des journalistes Force Ouvrière,  131 
rue Damrémont, 75018 Paris France