[Date]

His Excellency Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic State of Afghanistan
c/o Said T. Jawad
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Afghanistan
Embassy of Afghanistan
2341 Wyoming Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20008
Fax: (202) 483-6488

Spokesperson
Hameed Nasry Wardak
Ministry of Information and Cultural Affairs
Afghanistan
Tel: +93 700 989 696
E-mail: hameednasry@yahoo.com

Spokesperson for President Karzai
Humayun Hamidzada
Afghanistan
Tel: +93 797 163 355
E-mail: bafir.ayoubi@gmail.com

Your Excellencies,

I am writing to express my concern regarding the delay in my colleague Sayed Parvez Kambakhsh’s appeal to a death sentence for the alleged crime of blasphemy. The appeal hearing scheduled for May 25, 2008, was reportedly adjourned following an earlier adjournment on May 18.

I understand that Mr. Kambakhsh, a journalism student at Balkh University and reporter for the local daily Jahan-e-Naw (The New World), was tried by an Islamic court in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, on January 22, 2008, convicted of blasphemy, and sentenced to death. The trial was reportedly held behind closed doors, and he had no legal representation.
 
I strongly believe that the activities for which Mr. Kambakhsh has been tried fall squarely under the protections for free expression as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and Afghan law. I therefore respectfully ask you to intervene and facilitate his immediate and unconditional release.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

[Your name and signature]