Til Udlændingestyrelsens og flygtningenævnets liste over væsentlige dokumenter

til brug i sagsbehandlingen jf flygtningeminister Bertel Haarders utilgivelige hastværk med at få deporteret afghanske asylsøgere nu

(kilde DR P1 Orientering)

- alt imedens danske jagere samtidig bomber løs i en krig i samme Afghanistan under amerikansk kommando (kilde vedr. bombning: Jan Øberg d. 27.10.02)

Med venlig hilsen

Arne Hansen

On Tue, 05 Nov 2002 06:42:05 -0700, Human Rights Watch <hrw-news@topica.email-publisher.com> wrote:

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/

====================================================================

Update your profile here:

http://topica.email-publisher.com/survey/?aVximT.a40jk6.cG9zdEBh

Unsubscribe here:

http://topica.email-publisher.com/survey/?aVximT.a40jk6.cG9zdEBh.u