So, Rosemary Laurey alerted me to this story about a guy in Afghanistan, who was sentenced to death because he downloaded a report which suggested that Muslim fundamentalists who preached that the Koran justified the oppression of women, were acting in direct contravention to the teachings of their Prophet Mohamed.

The fate of Sayed Pervez Kambaksh has led to domestic and international protests, and deepening concern about erosion of civil liberties in Afghanistan. He was accused of blasphemy after he downloaded a report from a Farsi website which stated that Muslim fundamentalists who claimed the Koran justified the oppression of women had misrepresented the views of the prophet Mohamed.

Mr Kambaksh, 23, distributed the tract to fellow students and teachers at Balkh University with the aim, he said, of provoking a debate on the matter. But a complaint was made against him and he was arrested, tried by religious judges without – say his friends and family – being allowed legal representation and sentenced to death.

What the fuck?

Anyway, the Independent are trying to get his conviction quashed:

The Independent is launching a campaign today to secure justice for Mr Kambaksh. The UN, human rights groups, journalists’ organisations and Western diplomats have urged Mr Karzai’s government to intervene and free him. But the Afghan Senate passed a motion yesterday confirming the death sentence.

Anybody who feels that this is grossly unjust, (and really, why shouldn’t you?) please, please, please go and sign this petition, to help save this man’s life.

No way should a man be sentenced to death because he was forward thinking enough to want to read about women’s rights. What kind of religious freakishness is that?