Afghanistan: Action needed to stop US-installed regime executing student
1 February 2008
The following is an abridged statement released by Left Radical of Afghanistan (LRA) on January 25.
Parviz Kambakhsh is one of the very recent victims of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan who, because of his personal beliefs, opinions and his political opposition to the US-installed regime, has been kept in the awful detention center of the National Security Department (SND) in Mazar e Sharif for the last three months.
Kambakhsh is a 23-year-old youth and a third year journalism student at the Mazar e Sharif University. He was a reporter for Jahan e Naw newspaper. He belongs to a poor family from the province of Saripul of Afghanistan.
He has been constantly physically and mentally tortured, and threatened with death unless he “confessed”. He has had no access to a lawyer, or to family or friends.
Even the death sentence handed down by the Mazar e Sharif attorney-general, Hafizullah Khaliqyar, was made secretly in Kambakhsh’s absence.
Kambakhsh was detained after the SND identified him as “secular, Marxist and [in] opposition” to the regime. He was accused of printing out “atheist” articles from the internet and distributing them to his fellow students.
According to Khaliqyar, “Kambakhsh disgraced Islam … and broke the constitution”. During an interview with Kelid Radio on January 23, he stated that not only had Kambakhsh “printed and written anti-religion articles but also he was an active Marxist who propagandised his opinions”.
Khaliqyar, the Ulama council (council of “religious experts”), the provisional council of Mazar e Sharif and the SND all demanded Kambakhsh be sentence[d] to be stoned to death.
The death sentence was handed down on January 23.
Yes, this is the real face of “democracy” in Afghanistan, a government created by US/NATO as a model of democracy in the region!
According to the third article of the new constitution of Afghanistan, “No other law can be made that opposes holy Islam religion’s beliefs and laws in Afghanistan”. Article 33 of the media law states that the media is forbidden to violate Islam and its principles.
Since the toppling of the Taliban’s dark and oppressive regime, we have not seen the establishment of any secular, socialist organisation in Afghanistan, while more than 95 Islamist-nationalist political parties have been established and registered by the government.
Left-wing forces, except some collaborationist elements, mainly continue their struggle and political activities underground, just like under the Taliban, and suffer constant persecution by the regime.
Everybody knows that the current government of President Hamid Karzai consists mainly of Islamic fundamentalist forces that possess the same beliefs and objectives as the Taliban. However, due to their specific obligations and interests, these forces continue to dance to the drum of US imperialism.
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan banned Aftab Weekly in 2002 and sentenced its editors to death. In 2005, it arrested and sentenced to death Ali Mohaqiq Nasab for expressing his beliefs. It detained and sentenced to death Abdul Rahman who converted to Christianity in 2005.
The detention and death sentence for Kambakhsh is the latest such event.
Karzai’s regime has sent letters to officials in the education, work and social affairs ministries warning them not to allow political activities in their respective areas, and if they come across any such activities, to report them to the SND immediately.
Since the installation of the puppet regime, any opposition movement has been persecuted and suppressed more harshly than in the time of the Taliban. In 2002 and 2003, Kabul University student demonstrations were ended by the language of weapons, with demonstrators arrested.
In 2005, during demonstrations around the country against both [to] the regime and the US/NATO occupation, dozens were arrested including 3 LRA militants. On May 29, 2006, following big anti-occupation demonstrations in Kabul that were ruthlessly repressed by police, the chief of the Senate — an Islamic fundamentalist figure — blamed communists for holding such demonstrations.
Marxist, communist and kafer (infidel) are the good words the current jihadi-nationalist ruling fascists use under the so-called democratic new constitution to justify the legal persecution of political opponents.
Of course the manifesto of all socialists and Marxists demands the eradication of private property and exploitation; real equality between women and men; separation of religion from the state; the right to access abortion for women; and other measures that are in contradiction to the dictates of Islam and other religions.
However, this does not mean that Marxists are anti-Islam or religious individuals. Marxists take a scientific approach towards religion and treat it as a personal matter for individuals.
But the anti-communist and Marxist sentiments among Islamic fundamentalists and extremists were developed and encouraged by US imperialism during the Cold War to fight against the “danger of communism”.
And still US imperialism has two approaches towards Islamic fundamentalism. If it needs to repress its enemies, it supports Islamic extremist forces warmly under the pretext of defending human rights and democracy.
However, if these forces touch the interests of US imperialism, then it adds them to its black list as terrorists.
For instance, the US helped to create and bring to power the Taliban in Afghanistan and had no serious objection to it before September 11, 2001. But when the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, suddenly the Taliban became terrorists!
But today as well, Islam is a good shield for non-democratic regimes to suppress opposition as “anti-Islamic” elements to protect themselves.
The crisis of the Afghan occupation is a reminder of its fraudulent claims, growing cost in blood, and certainty of failure: here.
Dear Kitty. Some blog 