Amnesty International 2003 report: Afghanistan:
There were significant improvements in the human rights situation following the establishment of a new government in late 2001. Reconstruction of institutions responsible for enforcing the rule of law was ongoing, but essential institutions, including the police, prisons and judiciary, were undermined by a lack of resources and a tenuous security situation. Grave human rights abuses and armed conflict continued. Hundreds of people were arbitrarily detained and held in poor prison conditions. Impunity remained entrenched and perpetrators of human rights violations largely went unpunished.
The Loya Jirga, originally intended to accord national legitimacy to the peace process, failed to open up space for democratic debate and entrenched in power many against whom there were allegations of massive human rights abuses.
The central government had no real control outside Kabul following the departure of the Taleban, resulting in increased lawlessness, factional fighting and repression, and continued human rights abuses. Despite numerous calls to expand the UN-mandated peace-keeping operation, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was only present in Kabul.
The mass grave in Dasht-e-Leili, near Shibarghan desert, contained the remains of hundreds of Taleban prisoners who reportedly suffocated to death while being transported in sealed containers from Kunduz to Shibarghan prison near Mazar-e-Sharif in 2001. In May the UN conducted a preliminary investigation at the site with the assistance of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Physicians for Human Rights. Three bodies from the grave were exhumed and autopsies conducted, which found injuries consistent with death by asphyxiation. The United Front under the command of General Abdul Rashid Dostum was implicated in these deaths by witnesses. Several of the witnesses were themselves reportedly later harassed and subjected to torture, arbitrary detention and extrajudicial killing.
Taleban decrees that restricted women's movement to the home were lifted with the inauguration of the Interim Administration. However, sexual violence by armed factions and public harassment linked to cultural beliefs continued to restrict women's movement, expression and dress. Fears for their personal security prevented women from participating fully in civil society and denied them the opportunity to exercise their basic rights. This was heightened in areas outside Kabul, where security was administered by local and rival commanders. The majority of women in prisons were detained for violating social, behavioural and religious codes. |
