GagWatch

Almost a year after he was sentenced to death for distributing “blasphemous” material, Afghan journalist Perwiz Kambakhsh has been jailed for 20 years (via). The reporter was arrested in 2007 after downloading material from the internet relating to the role of women in Islamic societies – this was deemed “offensive to Islam” by a court in the Balkh province.

And In Jordan, a poet has been arrested (via) for incorporating verses from the Koran into his work. Islam Samhan, published his collection of poems, “Grace like a Shadow,” without the approval of the Jordanian government, and authorities say it insults the holy book, according to an official who asked to remain anonymous because he didn’t have permission to talk to the media.

If convicted of “harming the Islamic faith” and violating the press and publication law for combining the “sacred” words of the Koran with sexual themes, Samhan faces up to three years in jail.

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