Open Letter to President George Bush: End Support to Warlords, Work to Expand ISAF
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September 19, 2003
President George Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C.
Dear President Bush:
We write to urge you to keep human rights issues prominent on your agenda during your forthcoming meeting with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. We are concerned that the already poor human rights situation in Afghanistan may deteriorate further and complicate the constitutional drafting process and next year's national elections.
Human Rights Watch and others have documented a serious degradation in the human rights situation in recent months, which has put at risk many of the gains made since the end of the Taliban period. Violence and intimidation at the hands of soldiers, militia and police under the control of warlords have created a generalized sense of insecurity. Even gains in education for school-age girls are now at risk as many parents are afraid to send their daughters out of their homes to go to school.
We urge you to publicly state the commitment of the United States to:
· Support President Karzai and the Afghan Transitional Administration and withdraw all support for regional warlords or military commanders responsible for human rights violations. The United States should once and for all end the supply of arms and finances to such persons. The United States must make clear both in words and actions that it supports only those leaders who promote respect for human rights. Pressure should be exerted on Afghan military, police, and intelligence officials to submit to legitimate national and local civilian authority. This message needs to be followed with action on the ground. You should order the Departments of State and Defense and United States intelligence agencies to implement this policy consistently and in a coordinated manner.
· Assist NATO to expand the security umbrella of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) beyond Kabul to the many insecure provinces in Afghanistan. The deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan is the largest impediment to the protection of human rights, reconstruction, and political stability. Without an improved security situation it will be difficult and perhaps impossible to hold a credible constitutional drafting process or elections. NATO is now undertaking a review of the feasibility of expanding ISAF. The United States should encourage other states to increase their peacekeeping role in Afghanistan and should offer any necessary logistical, intelligence, and political support necessary for ISAF to expand.
We also urge you to ask President Karzai to publicly state his support for and the primacy of human rights in Afghanistan. Specifically, we ask you to:
· Encourage President Karzai to publicly state that the new Afghan constitution should protect the human rights of all persons in Afghanistan, with special emphasis on women and religious and ethnic minorities. President Karzai should announce publicly that the Constitution should guarantee equality for all Afghans, irrespective of gender, race, ethnicity, or religion. President Karzai should also be urged to take all possible steps to limit the influence of individuals without a demonstrated commitment to human rights over the country's judiciary and ensure that the Constitution contains a judicial appointment process that emphasizes professional competence.
· Encourage President Karzai to select experts and the appointment of delegates for the constitutional loya jirga who will foster an open and democratic decision-making process. President Karzai should take all measures within his legal and moral authority to ensure that those political or military figures responsible for human rights abuses do not hijack the constitutional drafting process to intimidate delegates, legitimize their own positions, or limit the rights of women and religious and ethnic minorities;
· Encourage President Karzai to publicly and privately support the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. He should support giving the AIHRC full constitutional status and clarify that recent attacks on the AIHCR by senior members of the Afghan government do not represent his administration's policy. President Karzai should publicly reprimand and punish anyone who interferes with the AIHRC's mandate, under the Bonn Agreement, to investigate and publicize violations of human rights in Afghanistan.
Thank you for your consideration of these important matters.
Sincerely,
Brad Adams
Executive Director
Asia Division
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