19 February 2010

Alert

CJFE urges authorities to intervene in case of imprisoned writer


(CJFE/IFEX) - In an open letter, CJFE calls on Afghan authorities to intervene in the case of Dr. Ahmad Ghaus Zalmai:

His Excellency Jawed Ludin
Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to Canada
240 Argyle Ave.
Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 1B9

February 16, 2010

Dear Ambassador,

I am writing on behalf of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), a non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect press freedom and freedom of expression around the world.

CJFE would like to call your attention to a free expression case where we believe there has been a gross miscarriage of justice. The case concerns Dr. Ahmad Ghaus Zalmai, a journalist and writer who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his part in publishing a Dari/Farsi translation of the Koran.

Dr. Zalmai was arrested in November 2007 along with Mullah Qari Mushtaq. He is currently being held in the notorious Poli Charkhi prison. His wife and children were forced to flee to Pakistan after being threatened and attacked.

Dr. Zalmai says that his intention in printing the translated Koran was to help the Farsi speakers in Afghanistan be able to read and understand the holy book. The case against Zalmai is based on his failure to print the Arabic original alongside the translation, which is required by Islamic law.

CJFE urges Afghan authorities to intervene in this case. We believe that Dr. Zalmai's right to free expression has been violated. Furthermore, this extremely severe prison sentence sends a chilling message to all Afghan citizens that the slightest mistake will be punished with lengthy prison time.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your reply.

Yours Sincerely,

Arnold Amber, CJFE President

Source:

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
PO Box 407
555 Richmond St. W., Suite 1101
Toronto, ON M5V 3B1
Canada
cjfe @ cjfe.org
Phone: +1 416 515 9622
Fax: +1 416 515 7879
 

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More on this case

Journalist and two publishers released 31 March 2010 Former journalist and mullah sentenced to 20 years in prison for publishing translation of Koran, printer gets five-year suspended sentence 12 September 2008

Afghanistan

Iranian journalist dies of injuries sustained in Kabul attack 23 September 2011 IFJ mourns BBC journalist killed by NATO forces 13 September 2011 BBC reporter killed during Taliban attack in Uruzgan province 28 July 2011 French journalists, interpreter released after being held hostage for 18 months 30 June 2011 Religious threat to media intensifies 10 June 2011 See all alerts: Afghanistan


 
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