-- KABUL, Afghanistan -- An Afghan journalism student sentenced to death for insulting Islam denied the charges before an appeals court Sunday, saying he only confessed to questioning the religion's treatment of women because he was tortured.Not too surprisingly, one doesn't make the jump from medieval theocracy to full-fledged democracy, overnight.
During an hour-long hearing, a judge read aloud a transcript of the Jan. 22 proceedings against 24-year-old Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh at the primary court in northern Balkh province.
It was the first time the public and the media heard full details from the closed-door trial, which highlights the influence of conservative religious attitudes in post-Taliban Afghanistan's still-nascent justice system.
A week after Mr. Kambakhsh was sentenced, lawmakers in the upper house of Parliament lauded the verdict. Conservative clerics and tribal elders have demanded that the government support the court's decision.Strange... how Steffi and Jack and the supposed parties of "more women, right now"... can't seem to get their heads around the importance of our involvement in this region.
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RELATED: Hey, Jacko... negotiate this.
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