Afghan history has witnessed many excesses and violations against Afghans when in the recent past, clans, families and individuals were able to grasp power and become either disputed or undisputed rulers of the land of the Afghans. These violations became intense and took an inhuman nature especially after the toppling down of the first Afghan republic that was established through a bloodless coup by Mohammad Daoud in 1973.

Afghans have constantly been surprised over the fact that those responsible for the aberrations have always surfaced as leaders and power holders in their country. These power holders have, time and again, become wheelers and dealers of Afghanistan's destiny and its politics. Many have asked the question if there were any justice in all of this for the Afghans?

An independent organization that calls itself The Afghanistan Justice Project (www.afghanistansjusticeproject.org) has taken it upon itself to carry out a detailed study of these violations, presently from 1992 to date and has promised to publish a more complete report of all violations and war crimes in Afghanistan after the installation of the puppet communist regime in 1976 to date early next year.

The short report published recently is subtitled the "Legacy of War Crimes and the Political Transition in Afghanistan."

The report introduces the Afghanistan Justice Project (AJP) and gives an executive summary of its research. The report covers:

The Kerala Massacre by the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan in 1979 when 1,000 innocent men were killed indiscriminately, the assassination of Sayed Bahauddin Majrooh, the prominent poet and editor by Hizb-e-Islami in 1988, and torture in Mujahidin prisons by most of major factions against political opponents. It then refers to the post 1992 period and describes in some detail the bombardment and rocketing of Kabul by all parties to the conflict in 1992-1995 and focuses on Hizb-e-Islami. It covers the Afshar massacre and mass rape in Kabul by Abdul Rasul Sayyaf's Ittihad-e-Islami and Jmiat/Shura-e-Nizar forces under Ahmad Shah Massoud in February 1003, against Hazara civilians. Furthermore it refers to the sexual assaults and other abuses against civilians by Junbish commanders in the north in 1992-1998. Torture, hostage-taking and summary executions by Hizb-i-Wahdat commanders in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif 1992-1998 are also covered by the report. The report discusses the massacre of 3000 Taliban by Junbish forces under General Abdul Malik Pahlawan in June 1997 mentioning testimony from two survivors. It mentions that the incident was never fully investigated by the UN and that those responsible continue to reside in Afghanistan.

On the other hand the report covers Taliban massacres in Sar-e-Pul and Gosfandi in 1999, the summary executions by the Taliban in the districts of Bagram, Kalakan, Qarabagh and Mir Bachakot in 1999 and mass burnings and destruction of means of livelihood in Shamali by the Taliban in the same year.

As you have noticed this is a lot of information based on research and unbiased discovery that makes the document exceptionally valuable. The details of the findings on all of these events throw light on the character of those who either committed the crimes or facilitated them. Many of the people involved are alive and some are holding positions of power recognized by the transitional authority as well as the supporting international forces. Some are not only reaping the fruits of their plunder with no remorse over the massive annihilation of lives, but seek leadership through so called democratic means that they influence by their private militia, guns and ammunitions or bundles of money they had illegally accumulated.

The report of the Afghanistan Justice Project exposes the sinister behavior of the criminals and brings to light facts through research and subjective description of eyewitnesses who were there. Its timely publication therefore should be upheld with respect and its recommendations for the transition taken seriously.

Because the report is clear on the names, dates and places these crimes were committed, and because it clearly names the accused in all of the abovementioned cases, the incoming government should consider taking legal action based on true justice to safeguard the honor and integrity of the citizens who were victimized. Post presidential election government must make use of the report, make it available to the people and help corroborate its findings. The government must ensure that those suspected of war crimes should not be allowed to acquire positions of power in the next administration. They should be prevented from using their resources of money and guns to get themselves elected to the upcoming legislature. The government should come up with a mechanism to see that justice is maintained regarding these excesses and that the rights of the victims and those of the nation as a whole trampled upon by these acts of violence and crime, are restored.

The Afghan nation has not forgotten many of the incidents mentioned in the report and are familiar with the names, parties and intentions of many accused of the heinous crimes against he innocent citizens of Afghanistan.

There is yet another aspect of the war crimes committed against the Afghans. It concerns the Soviet forces of aggression and the occupation period during which the puppet regime was completely subordinate to the designs, tactics and decisions of the communist advisors and carried out orders originating from the Kremlin. It is hoped that the Afghanistan Justice Project in its upcoming complete report considers recording those crimes as well. And more recently during the US campaign to oust Taliban, too, grave accesses were committed in the form of either collateral damage to civilians or direct capture, torture and imprisonment of the many innocent Afghans by US forces and their allied Afghan factions. The Project states that it is trying to document war crimes and crimes against humanity in order to have them on record. Therefore the record must include all cases relevant to the tragedy of Afghanistan.
The report so far includes case studies of many of the points mentioned above and gives documentation regarding all of these inhuman conducts.

This column would like to encourage all Afghans and Afghan friends to read the original report carefully and to make it their responsibility that its contents reach the public in Afghanistan as well as the authorities there. The project can be reached online in the following address: www.afghanistanjusticeproject.org . 10/23/04