Facebook group defending Afghani reporter gathers strength

It has so far signed 340 members and many have also written to their relevant Afghan embassies or their political representatives. The site includes links to template letters such as the one created by the International Federation of Journalists, which can be sent to Afghan president Hamid Karzai

Sayad Parwez Kambaksh, who works as a journalist at the Jahan-i-Naw newspaper in Mazar-i-Sharif and is a student at Balkh University, reportedly took the downloaded paper to school to discuss it with his teacher and classmates. Several students allegedly complained to the government, leading to Kambaksh's arrest.

The 23-year-old has been jailed since October last year and will remain in custody while the case goes to an appeal court.

A petition urging the Foreign Office "to put all possible pressure" on the Afghan government to prevent the execution of Sayed Pervez Kambaksh has also been launched and can be signed on the Independent.

More than 67,000 people have now signed the Independent's petition.

The paper also reported that the latest support for Sayad Parwez Kambaksh came after President Karzai's political mentor, the ex-president and leader of the upper house, Sibghatullah Mojaddedi, led a senate endorsement of the death penalty last week. But he was forced to back down after legal experts inside Afghanistan pointed out that it was illegal for the government to try to influence the judiciary.

The U-turn was seen as a potential lifeline for Sayad Parwez Kambaksh.