"Young Democracy" in Afghanistan?
By Siun Tuesday Jan 29, 2008 6:31pm
In the SOTU Monday night, George Bush cheered on the "young democracy" in Afghanistan:
"In Afghanistan, America, our 25 NATO allies and 15 partner nations are helping the Afghan people defend their freedom and rebuild their country. Thanks to the courage of these military and civilian personnel, a nation that was once a safe haven for al-Qaida is now a young democracy where boys and girls are going to school, new roads and hospitals are being built, and people are looking to the future with new hope.
Yet just six days ago a young Afghan reporter was sentenced to death in Afghanistan and the case points to the return of both judicial extremists and the continuing power of the warlords:
A journalist in northern Afghanistan, Sayed Parwez Kaambakhsh, has been sentenced to death for blasphemy in a summary trial in which he had no legal representation and no opportunity to defend himself.
Sentencing took place in a closed session of the lower court of Balkh region on January 22.
“It was about four pm when guards brought me into a room where there were three judges and an attorney sitting behind their desks. There was no one else,” Kambakhsh told IWPR.
“The death sentence had already been written. I wanted to say something, but they would not let me speak.
“They too said nothing. They just handed me a piece of paper on which it was written that I had been sentenced to death. Then armed guards came and took me out of the room, and brought me back to the prison.”
Kaambakhsh is a third-year journalism student at Balkh University, and also reports for the Jahan-e-Naw daily in Mazar-e-Sharif. He was arrested on October 27, 2007, on charges of distributing anti-Islamic propaganda.
The accusation was based on an article from the internet that had been circulated around Balkh University, ostensibly signed by Kaambakhsh. The student insists he had nothing to do with the paper and did not sign it.
Radio Netherlands has more about the accusation:
Mr Kambakhsh is accused of downloading an article by the Iranian writer Arash Bikoda (Persian for 'Godless') and distributing it among friends. The 12-page article is thought to contain criticism of how women are treated in Islamic societies. Mr Kambakhsh was initially suspected of having written the article himself.
The Institute for War and Peace Reporting told the BBC it "believed Kambakhsh may have been targeted because his brother, Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi, a staff reporter for the institute, had written articles that criticised local strongmen."
"We feel very strongly that this is a complete fabrication on the part of the authorities... designed to put pressure on Perwiz's brother Yaqub, who has done some of the hardest-hitting pieces outlining abuses by some very powerful commanders in Balkh and the other northern provinces," the institute's country director Jean MacKenzie said.
In fact, the Afghan Information Ministry in fact stated:
"But his arrest and sentence given to him has not been in relation with his journalistic activities and thus has no connection with the work of this ministry," it said.
Afghan journalists are very concerned:
Haroon Najafizada, secretary for the South Asian Free Media Association in northern Afghanistan, is concerned at the way this case has been handled and its implications for free speech.
“This sentence was passed in closed session. The media should have been present,” he said. “If things continue like this, freedom of speech in northern Afghanistan will be in serious jeopardy, and reporters will begin to censor themselves.”
On January 21, the day before sentence was passed, a group of journalists gathered in the Balkh governor’s office to protest Kaambakhsh’s continued detention.
According to Najafizada, the prosecutor threatened reprisals if the media did not back down.
“Hafiz Khaliqyar, the prosecutor for Balkh, spoke to us in a very bad tone,” said Najafizada. “In front of the governor and all of the authorities in Balkh, he said that he would arrest anyone who defended Kambakhsh.”
RAWA is asking for help to free Perwiz from this sentence:
The accusations are so ridiculous and injudicious that they make any freedom-loving person want to stand and say enough is enough. Mr. Kambakhsh is accused of printing/distributing an article from the Internet, which points out controversial verses of the Quran regarding women’s rights. The book “Religion in the History of Civilization” (by Will Durant) taken from his living room has been kept as an evidence against him in the court!
In a country where for the last six years there are many claims regarding “democracy”, “human rights”, and “freedom of press”, the religious fascists have their grip on justice and try every possible way to mute anyone who criticizes or comments about the Northern Alliance criminals.
Imprisonment of Parwiz Kambakhsh is not only for his enlightening articles in a local newspaper, Jahan-e-Now (The New World), but also because of his brother Yaqub Ibrahimi, who is a well-known, brave and realistic reporter and exposed many criminal faces from Jehadi mafia in Northern Afghanistan to the world public.
You can join in an email campaign to plead for Perwiz' life and freedom with emails to the following. Since any appeal he files will be heard in the same "court" as his sentencing, human rights groups are asking people to include a request that his case be moved to the courts in Kabul:
Presidential Office:
president@afghanistangov.org
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
spokesman-unama@un.org
The Supreme Court of Afghanistan
aquddus@supremecourt.gov.af
And by contacting the The Embassy of Afghanistan at:
Main Telphone:
Main Fax: 202.483.6488
E-Mail: info@embassyofafghanistan.org
So far, President Karzai has been silent about the Perwiz case but hopefully international pressure can encourage him to speak up for freedom of the press and a fair judiciary.
For the Bush admin, reporters being sentenced to death IS good news.
Bush states lies, lies and more lies and delusions...
We are all counting the days...
This is Afghan justice...
(Read "The Kite Runner" Historic fiction. A real eye-opener.)
More insight into W's ideas on "democracy".
Mission Accomplished!
Iran, you will pay for this!
Another SOTU by W, another 10lbs of bullshit in a 5lb bag. Thankfully it was his last, although the lies he spread will be causing more death more years to come.
“In Afghanistan, America, our 25 NATO allies and 15 partner nations are helping the Afghan people defend their freedom and rebuild their country“
BS. Only the US, Canada, the UK and the Netherlands are actively engaged against the Taliban in combat missions.
The other European countries are there in non-combat missions and even refuse to assist to provide their helicopters for evacuations.
The Afghanistan mission is stirring much debate in Canada and the participation of other NATO countries who are scratching their balls and not helping are draw lots of critisism.
Bush took his eye off the ball and fail to contain the problem and instead focused in the wrong war in Iraq.
Osama Bin Laden is still hiding out in neighbooring Pakistan.
Musharaff is a total failure and is just syphoning the aid money to build his military.
NATO 's reason of existance is being severly looked at for it's inability to fonction or take action.
The situation in Aghanistan is not solved and is no way of getting solved under NATO and Musharaff's stagnation.
Blue Lensman @ 3:
yup, it's called Bushism :twisted:
Well, atleast you can't call Bush a hypocrite this time. He's been pushing for a similar justice system since he got elected.
this sounds like the kind of justice bush/cheney and the entire reichwingnut neocons
want to bring to America since they are actively rewriting the entire constitution
towards making the USA a fascist dictatorship.
What the so-called liberal media are failing to report is that the reason the United States is in Afghanistan is to protect an oil pipeline that runs from Central Asia through Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Indian Ocean. This point is also brought up by former military service member Karen Kwiatkowski in the very relevant documentary Why We Fight.
It's good to have kids in school. Too bad we blew up their parents.
So easy here in America to joke about some poor fuck in Afgshanistan.
So easy.
What a nice government you installed in Afghanistan Mr Bush.
[Deleted. Ted, the link to your blog is already embedded in your name. That link is functional. Please stop blogwhoring in every post. Thank you. Site Monitor]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Number of Operations Iraq Freedom and Enduring Freedom casualties
as confirmed by U.S. Central Command: 4399
VietVet8666 @ 13:
That's consistent with the previous post regarding a million dead in Iraq (and almost nobody in the US talking about it). I think this country's almost lost itself.
I e-mailed and called everyone on the list, but given Guantanamo and the state of our own justice system I felt like a base hypocrite the whole while. Small price to pay to save a man's life of course...
The post conflates "democracy" with "the rule of law," but they're not the same thing. One is a system of government, and the other concerns the executions (no pun intended) of its foundational principles. Democracies could, in theory, vote for a government that executes tens, even hundreds, of innocent people (see, e.g., late-90s TX) -- they could even back genocide. The example is extreme, but the point remains.
Atrocities happen every day in democracies, and they're not limited to lack of free speech or right to a fair trial. Again, the two are not essentially connected. In other words, the Bill of Rights is not a pre-req for democracy, despite whether the "usual" ideologies behind democracies tend to naturalize the connection.
Bush's description of the glorious world of Afghanistan notwithstanding...
Everyone needs to make a fuss about this. Then this young man's life will be spared, just as the young girl who was raped in Saudi Arabia by a gang of men then sentenced to hundreds of lashings and prison for it, was spared. Putting out fires.....
But the barbaric beheadings and public lashings in Saudi Arabia, (the country of origin for 15 of the 19 "hijackers" on 9/11 and our "good friend in the war on terror") and the 12th Century, archaic laws of wahabism in Afghanistan with summary executions, no habeus corpus and torture of men and women will continue.
And in the United States our civil rights have been legislated away, by Republicans and Democrats alike, in spite of the fact that Bush said after 9/11, "The terrorists did these attacks on us because they hate our freedoms."
Here's but one little example of a fundamental freedom we "had" that we quite obviously do NOT have anymore:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncq_Nu3dRSI
Well, we lost our freedoms, Iraq got "shock and awed" based on hundreds of documented lies, and there is obviously NO democracy in Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan (or Pakistan) or even in the United States! Do you HONESTLY feel we are witnessing free, fair and transparent elections with all the blatant media bias against "certain" candidates?! Please.
Looks to me like the terrorists won!
there aint never going to be no stinking democracy in that shit-hole.
damn you bush,[deleted]
And your point is?This is exactly what chimpies vision of democracy is,they just haven't started killing anyone yet...oh,wait...
Fil @ 7:
Excuse me? Do you even KNOW what is going on in Afghanistan or do you get your "terrist" talking points from the MSM? They aren't there lookin' fer dem terrists, or the Taliban, or Moby Dick.
Fil @ 7:
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, reinforcing an ultimatum over Afghanistan, told U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday that Ottawa would withdraw its military mission next year unless NATO sent in more troops, officials said.
Canada, which has 2,500 soldiers in the southern city of Kandahar, is fed up with the refusal of other NATO nations to send more forces to the violent region of Afghanistan. The Canadian combat mission there is due to end in February 2009.
---Reuters
Erroll @ 11:
BINGO!
Death sentence for just downloading???
Isn't it time to star carpet bombing and get rid of that regime once and for all.
Sorry, I wasn't intending to "blogwhore" It is my standard signature that I usually use with my casuality count which I just paste in. I will attempt to remember to remove it before I post here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Number of Operations Iraq Freedom and Enduring Freedom casualties
as confirmed by U.S. Central Command: 4399
[Thanks, Ted! : ) Took a look at your site- you do a good job. But we've got to be fair here- you're not the first person who's been deleted for it. You're the most understanding that I've come across, though. Site Monitor ps- If you link to your blog occasionally in a comment, it's not a bad thing. Key word: occasionally.]
Someone seriously, desperately needs to find a way to slip some Thorazine or Haloperidol into the water supply at the White House...because the President is so far out of touch with reality that it's positively staggering.
Sayed Parwez Kaambakhsh.
I'd rather have one of him than a thousand Addingtons, Libbys or Cheneys.
(And, forgive me, theists, but a world where a man can be sentenced to death for what he writes is a world where no god has any authority, power or control. There is nobody to prevent injustice but you and me and the rest of us dopey, hairless monkeys.)
I think he's already taking Haldol, the question is - who's the puppetmaster?
The Afghan government seems to have been taking pointers from FEMA, as well, Facing the worst winter in recent memory over two hundred people and 80,000 head of stock perished from the cold. Children are freezing to death in local orphanages that can't afford heat. Oh, those giant contractors and the local war lords they support are ok, so the war on terra is obviously succeeding.
It's a shame they chose to model their "democracy" after Bush's.
E Pleb Neesta
GODISNOWHERE
Blessed are the Cheese Makers.
It's BUSH's "war" in Afghanistan.
It's BUSH's "war" in Iraq.
Never forget that he started them and is now preparing to run away from them.
It's not going to work. Historically speaking, Iraq has a stronger chance of achieving democracy in our lifetime than Afghanistan. They have at least had time to develop a political culture, albeit one that was warped by years under the boot of the Ottomans, the British, the Taliban, and now NATO.
Historically speaking, life on Earth is not possible.
Erroll @ 11:
i think the goal is to control, not just protect that pipeline, which would explain why bush never bothered to finish the job in afghanistan . . . this way, the u.s. has an indefinite excuse to keep troops in the country and, thus, a grip on the oil
how obscene it is that poor mr. kambakhsh and his brother, not to mention our brave troops, were duped into believing that we were bringing freedom to afghanistan!
In Republican terms - Afghanistan has a relgious organization with over a dozen small Pat Robertsons running things for a big one. Add to that neocon selected judges and lawyers who can set their own laws and "justice" even change them at will - and a president who's only job is to look nice for the camera and point to the few city blocks he runs, and to distract it from the other stuff. Same as Iraq, and one of Gonzo's last official visits was to Baghdad before he left his office - I'm sure he got a few good pointers.
Death Squad Democracy "vote for me and I'll kill less of your people than that other guy."
>> on charges of distributing anti-Islamic propaganda.
That's like me distributing some anti-neocon propaganda on C&L- safe untill the neocons install their judges, lawyers, police, generals, death squads and religious "guides" - then not so safe.
There are two forms of Islam, one is organized (Shia) and one is not organized (Sunni) - Afghanistan and Iraq are trying out the organized form of Islam right now but they don't seem to like it as much as the neocons want them to. Bush thinks that a lot more killing might change their minds, but the Afghan and Iraqi populations seem to be very stuborn about this for some reason.
Let me just say that here in Canada, where the Afghanistan mission is not terribly popular, this story has not gone down well AT ALL! We've lost more soldiers per capita than any other Nato ally in Afghanistan and for what? I don't see much difference between this legitimate Afghan court and the Taliban, truth be told.
Posted on wrong thread:
So much for our spreading Democracy
We’re spreading something
Butt it ain’t Democracy.
Erroll @ 11:
I wonder if that's the same pipeline they were trying to build into Azerbahain, despite the fact that Bubba Clinton put their country and their leader Iyyup Aliyev on a do not deal with list, because of human rights violation in his attempt to commit genocide on the
Carob Nagorno. First day they illegally seized the White House, chainey took them off the list. My bad, the president's name was Ilham Aliyevl; I'm still half-asleep.
Let's try this again, Ilham Aliyev.
Tell you what, let's just called him Adolph
Worked for us with Saddam.
VietVet8666 @ 13:
I dont believe that folks here are treating this as a joke. More the point that the policies of this administration is the punch line.
I foget who said it but it seems apt;
"Iraq ( and by extension Afghanistan) is only three people away from a true democracy. Unfortunately those three are George Washington, James Madison and John Marshal."
I DON'T SEE A SILVER LINING FOR THIS YOUNG AFGSHANISTANI.
HELLS BELLS, THERE IS NO SILVER LINING FOR ANY OF US.
rain @ 41:
Sure there is, our coffin linings.
At least he was brought before a 'judge', which is more than you get in Gitmo.
Karzai doubts more troops would help Afghan security situation
Also, the young journalism student sentenced to death without trial or representation has a brother who is a journalist. It seems that he has written several articles outlining abuses by government and authorities in the north of Afghanistan - you know - where it's supposed to be safe.
Some people think that sentencing his younger brother to death is a way of getting back at him, a little vengeance for lifting the lid on their criminal behavior.
Most NATO countries know the nature of this government, which is why they aren't interested in committing troops to be slaughtered in southern and eastern Afghanistan. Most Canadians want their soldiers out of there yesterday. Prime Minister Harper lives in a bubble. He couldn't give a damn what the citizens think. A little over a third voted for him. He's acting like he got a huge majority.
I guess we didn't bomb them hard enough.
A couple more 1000 pounders should make them democratic.
Filthy Harry @ 1:
Fortunately for you, we DO live in a democracy.