Past Atrocities in Kabul and Afghanistan's Legacy of Impunity
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Blood-Stained Hands Past Atrocities in Kabul and Afghanistan’s Legacy of Impunity Human Rights Watch Copyright © 2005 by Human Rights Watch. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-334-X Cover photos: A mujahedin fighter in Kabul, June 1992. © 1992 Ed Grazda Civilians fleeing a street battle in west Kabul, March 5, 1993. © 1993 Robert Nickelsberg Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: 1-(212) 290-4700, Fax: 1-(212) 736-1300 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel:1-(202) 612-4321, Fax:1-(202) 612-4333 [email protected] 2nd Floor, 2-12 Pentonville Road London N1 9HF, UK Tel: 44 20 7713 1995, Fax: 44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] Rue Van Campenhout 15, 1000 Brussels, Belgium Tel: 32 (2) 732-2009, Fax: 32 (2) 732-0471 [email protected] 9 rue Cornavin 1201 Geneva Tel: + 41 22 738 04 81, Fax: + 41 22 738 17 91 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org Listserv address: To receive Human Rights Watch news releases by email, subscribe to the HRW news listserv of your choice by visiting http://hrw.org/act/subscribe- mlists/subscribe.htm Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. 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Kass, Marina Pinto Kaufman, Peter Osnos, Kathleen Peratis, Bruce Rabb, Orville Schell, Gary Sick, and Malcolm B. Smith. Blood-Stained Hands Past Atrocities in Kabul and Afghanistan’s Legacy of Impunity I. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 II. Historical Background...........................................................................................................11 III. The Battle for Kabul: April 1992-March 1993 ................................................................22 A: April – December 1992 ................................................................................................... 23 Ethnic fighting in West Kabul and the Hezb-e Islami attacks on Kabul................... 23 Wahdat, Ittihad and Jamiat in West Kabul.................................................................23 Rocketing and shelling by Hezb-e Islami ...................................................................29 Violations of International Humanitarian Law..........................................................35 Abductions, “Disappearances,” Torture, and Other Mistreatment of Detainees .... 42 Abductions by Wahdat..................................................................................................44 Abductions by Ittihad....................................................................................................47 Abuse of Prisoners.........................................................................................................49 “Disappearances”...........................................................................................................50 Pillage and Looting.........................................................................................................53 Violations of International Humanitarian Law..........................................................60 Rape and Sexual Violence ................................................................................................. 62 B: October 1992-February 1993.......................................................................................... 64 January – February 1993: Conflict Continues................................................................ 65 C: February 1993: the Afshar Campaign............................................................................ 70 Artillery Attacks..............................................................................................................74 The Ground Attack........................................................................................................76 Evidence of Mutilations, and Cases of Looting and Forced Labor .......................86 The effects of the Afshar campaign ............................................................................95 After Afshar ....................................................................................................................97 Violations of International Humanitarian Law..........................................................98 IV. Culpability............................................................................................................................101 A. Applicable law.................................................................................................................101 B. Culpability of specific individuals..................................................................................109 Wahdat...........................................................................................................................110 Ittihad.............................................................................................................................112 Hezb-e Islami................................................................................................................116 Jamiat, Shura-e Nazar, and the Afghan Government of 1992-1993 ....................119 Junbish ...........................................................................................................................121 Harakat...........................................................................................................................122 Afterword: The Complicity of Other Countries ..................................................................123 Recommendations.....................................................................................................................125