Latif Pedram is a poet, an intellectual, an Islamic scholar, a secular Afghan politician, a supporter of women's rights and former candidate for president. For reasons unknown, Mr. Pedram is being held under de-facto house arrest in Afghanistan. The Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee finds this state of affairs disturbiing and unacceptable.

Some friends of Mr. Pedram have composed a letter of protest to be sent with a roster of signatures to the Government of Afghanistan, the European Union, the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan and Nato.