Representatives from Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) have reiterated calls to the Afghan government to pursue legal action against individuals suspected of war crimes, particularly in cases relevant to the spring elections.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) recently issued a statement indicating human rights violations had and continue to be committed in Afghanistan. In the lead up to the April elections, many concerns have been raised about a few candidates who were accused of involvement in such violations in the past.
"What happened last week is that the ICC made an announcement saying that they have determined that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been and continue to be committed in Afghanistan, so we have issued a statement discussing what are the next steps and what is the role of the Afghan government in this process," HRW representative in Afghanistan Hither Bar said.
Calls for transitional justice in Afghanistan are nothing new, and have been voiced ever since the Taliban was overthrown in 2001 and leaders who were involved in the civil war of the 1990s began to return to Afghanistan and seek positions of power once again.
Bar said that the Afghan people understand the facts about these cases, but that the Afghan government so far hasn't shown a willingness to disclose many details or investigate the cases.
Meanwhile, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has emphasized the importance of the election organizers ensuring the credibility of the process is not compromised and human rights violations or war criminals are prevented from running.
"The ECC and IEC alongside legal organs should work on this issue," AIHRC member Rafiullah Bidar said. "This government and government institutions could prevent the entry of war criminals into the elections."
The ICC, based in the Netherlands, disclosed the names of five thousand war victims who were killed during the regimes of Noor Mohammad Taraki and Hafizullah Amin.
Afghanistan joined International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2003. The court is responsible for investigating war crimes in countries all around the world.