VOA标准英语10月-Afghan Journalist Receives 20-Year Prison Term fo

A young Afghan journalist, convicted of blasphemy¹, has had his death sentence overturned. But the appeals court ordered the reporter to spend 20 years in jail for distributing an Internet article criticizing the Prophet Mohammed's views on women. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman has details from Kabul.
　

Perwez Kambakhsh

The death sentence against Afghan journalist Perwez Kambakhsh has been overturned, but an appeals court upheld the blasphemy conviction against him.

The head of a three-judge appeals panel, Abdul Salam Qazizada, read the sentence against the reporter.

The judge said the court sentenced Kambakhsh to 20 years in prison for insulting Islam and the Prophet Mohammed, but that the defendant² has the right to appeal.

Kambakhsh's troubles began when he distributed to friends an article he had found from Iran on the Internet that alleged³ Mohammed had ignored the rights of women.

The 24-year-old journalist, who is a college student in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, alleged that he was tortured during a year in detention⁴ and that his initial trial 10 months ago in Balkh province lasted only minutes, during which he had no lawyer and was not allowed to testify in his own defense⁵.

After word of the death sentence spread, the conviction brought international condemnation⁶ as well as criticism from Afghan media and human rights groups.

Advocacy organizations began a petition drive and campaigns urging authorities to release Kambakhsh. But religious conservatives and some prominent clerics hailed the death sentence.

During Kambakhsh's appeal, three instructors⁷ and two students from his university appeared before the court. One student testified that he had been forced by a professor and government intelligence officers to make a statement accusing Kambakhsh of blasphemy. But other witnesses told the judges that Kambakhsh had violated tenets of Islam.

The journalist's lawyer, Afzal Noristani, says the verdict is a conspiracy⁸ based on false information and that he will appeal the 20-year prison sentence to Afghanistan's Supreme⁹ Court.

Afghanistan's judicial¹⁰ system is modeled on Islamic Sharia law under which the penalty for blasphemy is death.

1 blasphemy   

n.亵渎，渎神

参考例句：

• His writings were branded as obscene and a blasphemy against God.他的著作被定为淫秽作品，是对上帝的亵渎。
• You have just heard his blasphemy!你刚刚听到他那番亵渎上帝的话了！

2 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。

3 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

4 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

7 instructors   

指导者，教师( instructor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The instructors were slacking on the job. 教员们对工作松松垮垮。
• He was invited to sit on the rostrum as a representative of extramural instructors. 他以校外辅导员身份，被邀请到主席台上。

8 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

9 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

10 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。