On Tuesday, November 5, 2002, at 04:50 PM, Doug Henwood wrote:
> From: Human Rights Watch <hrw-news at topica.email-publisher.com>
> Subject: Afghanistan: Torture and Political Repression in Herat
> Date: Tue, 05 Nov 2002 06:42:05 -0700
>
> Afghanistan: Torture and Political Repression in Herat
> U.S., U.N. Warlord Strategy Fails Afghan People
>
> (New York, November 5, 2002) - The U.S.-led coalition forces are
> actively backing a warlord in western Afghanistan with a disastrous
> human rights record, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released
> today.
>
> The 51-page report, "All Our Hopes Are Crushed: Violence and
> Repression
> in Western Afghanistan," documents widespread abuses by the military,
> police and intelligence services under the command of Ismail Khan, the
> local governor. The abuses include arbitrary and politically-motivated
> arrests, intimidation, extortion and torture, as well as serious
> violations of the rights to free expression and association.
>
> "The international community says it wants to reduce the power of the
> warlords and bring law and order back to Afghanistan," said John
> Sifton,
> co-author of the report and a researcher in the Asia Division of Human
> Rights Watch. "But in Herat, it has done exactly the opposite. The
> friend of the international community in western Afghanistan is an
> enemy
> of human rights."
>
> Ismail Khan has personally ordered some of the politically motivated
> arrests and beatings, which have taken place throughout 2002. The Human
> Rights Watch report documents beatings with thorny branches, sticks,
> cables, and rifle butts. The most serious cases of torture involved
> hanging detainees upside down, whipping and using electric shocks.
> Members of the Pashtun minority have been specially targeted for abuse.
>
> Human Rights Watch criticized international actors for legitimizing and
> supporting warlords like Ismail Khan. Earlier this year, U.S. Defense
> Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called on Ismail Khan during a visit to
> Herat,
> and afterward described him to reporters as "an appealing person."
> "Much of the country is in the hands of violent commanders and their
> undisciplined troops," said Sifton. "The United States has even
> admitted
> providing warlords with weapons."
>
> In Herat, Human Rights Watch researchers found a closed society in
> which
> there is virtually no dissent or criticism of the government, no
> independent newspapers, and no freedom to hold public meetings. Ismail
> Khan and his supporters have intimidated journalists and printers and
> stifled or controlled the few civic organizations they permit to exist.
> Non-political civic groups have stopped gathering, and university
> students refrain from discussing political issues.
>
> "Herat has been known for centuries as a center of open culture,
> literature and learning," said Sifton. "The Taliban tried to destroy
> that. Now Ismail Khan is continuing their work."
>
> Human Rights Watch noted that both the U.S. and Iranian militaries have
> a presence in the area, regularly meet with Ismail Khan and members of
> his government, and have previously given military and financial
> assistance to Ismail Khan and other commanders allied with him. The
> president of Iran, Hojatoleslam Mohammad Khatami, has also visited
> Khan.
>
> "The United States and Iran have a great deal of influence over Ismail
> Khan," said Sifton. "They put him where he is today. They now have a
> responsibility to make him clean up his act."
>
> Human Rights Watch urged the expansion of the International Security
> Assistance Force (ISAF) beyond Kabul so that warlords can be sidelined
> and an expanded U.N. human rights monitoring and protection operation
> can be deployed. Because of previous U.S. opposition and reluctance
> among other member states of the United Nations, expansion of the force
> has not taken place. But there are signs that the United States now
> recognizes that its strategy of entrusting security to warlords could
> lead to renewed instability.
>
> "The United States says that is has reconsidered its position about
> ISAF," says Sifton. "With the command of ISAF soon shifting to Germany
> and the Netherlands, now is the time to expand the force."
>
> The Human Rights Watch report criticizes the U.N. mission in
> Afghanistan
> for not doing enough to monitor and report on human rights abuses. The
> report urges the Special Representative of the Secretary-General,
> Lakhdar Brahimi, to expand the United Nations' human rights monitoring
> efforts and to urge U.N. member states to supply troops and resources
> to
> expand ISAF to areas outside of Kabul.
>
> "The United Nations says it is using a 'light footprint' approach in
> Afghanistan," said Sifton. "Clearly, this isn't working when it comes
> to
> human rights."
>
> Human Rights Watch called on international donors to ensure that aid to
> Afghanistan is not channeled directly through Ismail Khan or his
> government. Instead, the aid should go through the national government,
> or nongovernmental organizations.
>
> Human Rights Watch urged governments to stop pinning hopes for security
> in Afghanistan on the creation of a new Afghan army.
>
> "Of course, training the future Afghan army is important, but it will
> have little or no impact in the short-term," said Sifton. "The people
> of
> Herat can't wait that long. It's time for the United States, the United
> Nations, and all the other actors involved in Afghanistan to sit down
> with President Karzai to come up with a real plan for security and
> human
> rights.
>
> All Our Hopes Are Crushed: Violence and Repression in Western
> Afghanistan
> HRW Report, November 5, 2002
> http://hrw.org/reports/2002/afghan3/
>
> Afghanistan: Return of the Warlords
> HRW Briefing Paper, June 2002
> http://hrw.org/backgrounder/asia/afghanistan/warlords.htm
>
> Afghanistan: U.S. Should Act on Expanding Security
> HRW Press Release, August 30, 2002
> http://www.hrw.org/press/2002/08/afghan0830.htm
>
> Afghanistan: Escalating Attacks on Aid Workers and Civilians
> HRW Press Release, June 27, 2002
> http://hrw.org/press/2002/06/afghan0627.htm
>
> Afghanistan: Human Rights Watch Key Documents
> http://hrw.org/campaigns/afghanistan/
>
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