A special rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights has said hundreds of civilians have been unlawfully killed by the Afghan police, militias, international forces, foreign intelligence agents and Taliban insurgents in the past four months.
Philip Alston - UN rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary execution, who visited different parts of Afghanistan and held extensive talks with commanders of the international forces based in Afghanistan, Afghan government officials, tribal elders and other actors - said at least 300 civilians had been killed by insurgents and about 200 others had been killed by international forces in 2008.
Alston said Afghan women also suffered from the impact of war when they lost fathers, husbands, sons and brothers, and received no sympathy or support. Furthermore, women are the victims of illegal “honour killings”, he said, adding that he was an independent rapporteur and did not reflect the UN view.
He demanded that extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary killings in Afghanistan must stop immediately.
“In a nutshell: police killings must cease; widespread impunity within the legal system for killing must be rejected; the killing of women and girls must end; the international military forces must ensure real accountability for their actions; and the UN should give greater prominence to the role of human rights in its activities,” Alston said.
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