New HRW report stresses danger of warlord threat

The Afghan government has called for continued support from the international community towards ensuring respect for human rights in the country, following a report released on Tuesday by Human Rights Watch (HRW) asserting that a climate of fear, particularly in the south, is threatening efforts to adopt a new constitution, and capable of derailing national elections scheduled for mid-2004. The 101-page report, entitled "Killing You is a Very Easy Thing for Us", warns that violence, political intimidation and attacks on women and girls are discouraging political participation and endangering gains made in women’s rights in Afghanistan over the last year. Abdul Hamid Mubarez, the deputy minister of information and culture, told IRIN that, whereas gains had been made in ensuring press freedom and women's rights in the capital, Kabul, the situation was very different in the provinces. "Warlords and commanders still exist with power and confidence. Mainly regarding women's rights, they do want to interfere more than what they are doing now, but they have a fear they cannot openly, or directly, operate," Mubarez stated. He said he hoped more human rights organisations would deploy offices and personnel outside the capital to reduce the threat. "The Afghan nation, and the women in particular, are quite eager and interested to participate in national solidarity, elections and other social and political affairs, but unfortunately the threat of the warlords has overshadowed that great interest," he added. "We are confident that we are strengthening the culture of the pen and ending the culture of the gun." The HRW report also suggests that the government needs to improve its own human rights record. It documents various atrocities committed by the Afghan army and police, including break-ins, extortion, and the rape of women, girls and boys, and urges the Afghan government to sideline and pressure abusive leaders, and to seek more international attention in its efforts. "Human rights abuses in Afghanistan are being committed by gunmen and warlords who were propelled into power by the United States and its coalition partners after the Taliban fell in 2001. These men and others have essentially hijacked the country outside of Kabul. With less than a year to go before national elections, Afghanistan’s human rights situation appears to be worsening," the report quoted HRW Asia Division Executive Director Brad Adams as saying, The report also called on the United Nations to increase its human rights monitoring and protection efforts by deploying "significant numbers of human rights officers around the country". Manoel de Almeida e Silva, the main UN spokesman for Afghanistan, told IRIN on Tuesday that his organisation was working closely with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), but noted that he had not yet had time to fully study what he described as HRW's "comprehensive" report. "One of our key focuses is to develop Afghan capacity. We have been doing joint activities with them, but the point is, the UN will go away one day, so you need to have the capacity that, in a sustainable fashion, continues to deal with it," he added. The UN spokesman said the AIHRC now had more trained personnel who were better equipped to handle a burgeoning list of complaints. "The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission have, so far, seven satellite offices in different regions of the country, and have received over 600 complaints from the people," he said. But he stressed that Afghanistan needed functioning justice and police systems. "There is work being done about that. That is what security sector reform is all about," de Almeida e Silva said, adding that the bottom line and the root of the problem was related to security. "Until the security issue is fully addressed, you will not have a sustainable situation for addressing human rights," he stated. To access the full report, see: www.hrw.org