Afghanistan: Zaman Ahmadi, in Prison for Blasphemy Since 2012, May Be Released

[danieldemol]

‘A primary court in Afghanistan is expected to release Zaman Ahmadi, a man who was handed a 20-year prison sentence in 2012 for blasphemy.

On December 3 last year, the Supreme Court of Afghanistan reversed a 20-year jail sentence for Ahmadi, but their decision must be reviewed by the primary court.

A primary court in Kabul in 2012 had sentenced Ahmadi to 20 years’ imprisonment for blasphemy.

On Friday, Ahmadi spoke to a TOLOnews’ correspondent from Kabul jail and said that he expects to be released on bail, possibly next week.’

Read more here: Zaman Ahmadi, in Prison for Blasphemy Since 2012, May Be Released | TOLOnews

 

[leov]

‘A primary court in Afghanistan is expected to release Zaman Ahmadi, a man who was handed a 20-year prison sentence in 2012 for blasphemy.

On December 3 last year, the Supreme Court of Afghanistan reversed a 20-year jail sentence for Ahmadi, but their decision must be reviewed by the primary court.

A primary court in Kabul in 2012 had sentenced Ahmadi to 20 years’ imprisonment for blasphemy.

On Friday, Ahmadi spoke to a TOLOnews’ correspondent from Kabul jail and said that he expects to be released on bail, possibly next week.’

Read more here: Zaman Ahmadi, in Prison for Blasphemy Since 2012, May Be Released | TOLOnews

Just thinking: He could have been put to death somewhere like Saudi Arabia or just ignored in Turkey...

 

[danieldemol]

‘Afghan blasphemy-accused writer freed after 8 yrs

Kabul, March 13 An Afghan writer, who was handed a 20-year prison sentence in 2012 for blasphemy, has been released after eight years, it was reported.

"Acquittal from the court, the removal of the allegations. and my freedom were among my basic demands to the court," TOLO News quoted Zaman Ahmadi as saying after his release on Thursday.

"My family and I suffered the most; I was the only breadwinner of my family at the time," added the writer.

On December 3, 2019, the Supreme Court had reversed the 20-year jail sentence for Ahmadi.

However it said at the time that the decision must be reviewed by the primary court.’

Read more here: Afghan blasphemy-accused writer freed after 8 yrs

 

[Sirona]

Do you have any information about what exactly he blasphemed about?

In one article it says:

“Now that a comeback by the Taliban into power is felt again, everyone is realizing that I was innocent; I was defending social values,” Ahmadi told TOLOnews.

and

Ahmadi was arrested in west of Kabul in 2012 after he wrote an article about the factors that led to the destruction of a Buddha statue in the central province of Bamiyan.

Source: Zaman Ahmadi, in Prison for Blasphemy Since 2012, May Be Released | TOLOnews

From the sparse information in the article, a lot is left to guess, but I think he might be a religious hardliner. When I still voluteered for Amnesty international, action was demanded for quite a few religious hardliners from Islamic countries just as long as they hadn't called for violence. I didn't ask myself then but now I do ask myself now whether supporting fundamentalists is making common cause with their fundamentalist agendas.

 

[danieldemol]

Do you have any information about what exactly he blasphemed about?

In one article it says:



and



Source: Zaman Ahmadi, in Prison for Blasphemy Since 2012, May Be Released | TOLOnews

From the sparse information in the article, a lot is left to guess, but I think he might be a religious hardliner. When I still voluteered for Amnesty international, action was demanded for quite a few religious hardliners from Islamic countries just as long as they hadn't called for violence. I didn't ask myself then but now I do ask myself now whether supporting fundamentalists is making common cause with their fundamentalist agendas.

Without his article being published it is not possible for me to independently judge whether or not he is a hardliner.

I think we should differentiate between hardliners eg people who call for violence, and run of the mill fundamentalists though.

Either way though since he was also charged with apostasy over alleged conversion to Buddhism, I think that needs to be reported even if he is a hardliner whether or not action is taken to free him because it sends the message to other hardline Muslims that ultimately even being a Muslim hardliner will not save you from blasphemy/apostasy laws.

Perhaps it is also the case that people should be correctly convicted as well. Hate speech is criminal, but blasphemy and apostasy are not.