Taleban should be prosecuted for war crimes in Afghanistan

10 August 2010

The Taleban and other insurgent groups should be investigated and prosecuted for war crimes, Amnesty International said yesterday (10 August).

The statement follows the release of a UN report showing a rise in targeted killings of civilians in Afghanistan by anti-government fighters.

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan leapt by 31 per cent in the first half of 2010, driven largely by the Taleban and other insurgents’ increased use of improvised explosive devices.

They also increasingly targeted civilians for assassination, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). 
Attacks by the Taleban and other anti-government forces accounted for more than 76 per cent of civilian casualties and 72 per cent of deaths.
In the first half of 2010, the executions and assassinations of civilians by the Taleban and other insurgent groups increased by over 95 per cent to 183 recorded deaths, compared to the same time last year. The victims were usually accused of supporting the government.
 
Crying out for justice
“The Taleban and other insurgents are becoming far bolder in their systematic killing of civilians. Targeting of civilians is a war crime, plain and simple” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director. 
 
“The Afghan people are crying out for justice, and have a right to accountability and compensation.”
He said there is no practical justice system in Afghanistan now that can address the lack of accountability.
 
“The Afghan government should ask the International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity that may have been committed by all parties to the conflict.”
 
Fears of systematic targeting
Amnesty |nternational has been told that tribal elders in various villages of Kandahar, Zabul, and Khost provinces have been fleeing rural areas, fearing systematic targeting by the Taleban.
“The elders are threatened and if they don’t cooperate with the Taleban they are killed,” said a Kandahar journalist. “Then the Taleban will just tell the village that the elder was an American spy and that is why he was killed.”
 
The journalist asked not to be identified out of fear of Taleban retaliation.
Amnesty International is urging the international and Afghan forces to ensure they comply with their legal obligation to protect civilians from harm.
 
Those who provide them with information about anti-government groups or cooperate during military operations should receive special protection.
 

 

 

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