Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Zaman Ahmadi, In Prison for Blasphemy Since 2012, May Be Released

Zaman Ahmadi, In Prison for Blasphemy Since 2012, May Be Released

KABUL - 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.
Ahmadi expressed hope that a new court will serve justice on his case.
Ahmadi’s defending lawyers also said they hope that Ahmadi is released on bail sometimes next week.
Ahmadi has spent seven years in jail so far.
“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.
“I thank the Supreme Court for reversing a false verdict against me, I hope that the primary court serves justice,” said Ahmadi.
“This time we will only focus on securing the acquittal of my client,” said Ali Madad Hakimi, Ahmadi’s defending lawyer.
The Attorney General’s Office meanwhile said that the Supreme Court of Afghanistan will take the final decision about the release of Ahmadi.
“The original decision will be reversed, the courts in Afghanistan will issue their decision on the case, and whatever is decided by the courts of Afghanistan, the Attorney General will comply with,” said Jamshid Rasuli, spokesman for the Attorney General of Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has also said they will pursue Ahmadi’s case.
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. (TOLO NEWS)