HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS TO VISIT AFGHANISTAN IN SUPPORT OF NATIONAL INITIATIVE ON TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE

26 January 2005


United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour will visit Afghanistan from 27 to 30 January to support local efforts to deal with past abuses.

Mrs. Arbour will, notably, take part in the launch of a report of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) on transitional justice. The report is based on nationwide consultations on how Afghans would like past human rights abuses to be addressed. Over 4,000 people were surveyed individually, in addition to discussions held with over 200 focus groups bringing together a further 3,200 participants. The exercise took place in the last eight months, and covered 32 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, as well as refugee communities in Pakistan and Iran. The AIHRC report will contain recommendations for Afghan authorities and the international community on addressing past crimes and on fighting impunity.

To assist in these efforts, the Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) has prepared for the use of the AIHRC and the government a compilation of human rights violations covering the period from 27 April 1978 (the “Saur Revolution”) to 22 December 2001 (inauguration of the interim Government) based on publicly available documents. The compilation was produced at the request of the AIHRC and in line with the recommendation of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions as a contribution towards a more comprehensive documentation exercise which would require new on-the-ground investigations as part of the recommended long-term transitional justice strategy.

The AIHRC report will be launched on 29 January at the President’s Palace in Kabul, in the presence of President Hamid Karzai.



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