By Martin Banks - 21st January 2008
Parliament’s president has intervened in an effort to spare the life of an Afghan student who faces the death penalty.
In a letter to President Karzai of Afghanistan, Hans-Gert Pöttering called for the life of Sayed Perwiz Kambaksh, a young journalism student at Mazar Sharif University, to be spared.
The president's plea follows a ruling by the Afghan Council of Mullahs that the teenager should receive the death penalty for the 'crime' of campaigning for the rights of Afghan women.
In his letter, Pöttering says, "On behalf of the European parliament, I would like to appeal to you in the strongest possible terms, to use your good offices to intervene in this matter and ensure that his is spared.
"As you are aware, parliament advocates the universal abolition of the death penalty.
“We believe that the death penalty is a breach of fundamental human rights and an assault on human dignity and the right to life.
“Afghanistan has made significant progress on the road to democracy, and it is in the interests of enhancing the international image of your country that progress also be made on protecting this fundamental right of all Afghan citizens.”
He goes on, "The alleged 'crime' of this person would appear to be that he has distributed publications aimed at improving the situation of Afghan women.
“Any efforts in this direction should be supported by you and your government and it is essential that persons working for civil rights and freedom of expression be afforded sufficient legal protection."
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