This is the eighth report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan. The Special Rapporteur visited Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran in October 2001, Kabul in January 2002 and Herat in February. The Bonn Agreement, concluded on 5 December 2001, elaborated a transitional framework through which the people of Afghanistan can freely determine their own political future and undertake the task of rebuilding their State. The Agreement reaffirmed the independence, national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan. The goal of the transition process is the establishment of a broad-based, gender-sensitive, multi-ethnic and fully representative government. Human rights are to be fully integrated into the humanitarian, reconstruction and political activities undertaken during the transition, with the aim of building sustainable institutions that will support human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Special Rapporteur issued specific warnings in October and November 2001 about the need to take special measures to protect civilians against the threat of ethnically motivated violence in areas where ethnic minorities identified with the earlier regime could be exposed to reprisals. In his reports, the Special Rapporteur drew attention to the plight of prisoners. Overcrowding, malnutrition and disease were reported, in particular in Sheberghan prison, which in November 2001 housed over 3,000 prisoners and where conditions clearly did not meet minimum standards of human treatment. The highest priority has to be accorded to security in order to protect lives and property. The building of a national army, which has begun, needs to be accelerated. In the meantime, ISAF must be expanded and deployed wherever needed beyond Kabul and its environs. A national human rights-sensitive police force must be developed to carry out law enforcement effectively and impartially. Urgent action should be taken to review prison conditions to ensure that prisoners are treated humanely, in conformity with internationally recognized standards.
This is the eighth report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan. The Special Rapporteur visited Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran in October 2001, Kabul in January 2002 and Herat in February. The Bonn Agreement, concluded on 5 December 2001, elaborated a transitional framework through which the people of Afghanistan can freely determine their own political future and undertake the task of rebuilding their State. The Agreement reaffirmed the independence, national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan. The goal of the transition process is the establishment of a broad-based, gender-sensitive, multi-ethnic and fully representative government. Human rights are to be fully integrated into the humanitarian, reconstruction and political activities undertaken during the transition, with the aim of building sustainable institutions that will support human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Special Rapporteur issued specific warnings in October and November 2001 about the need to take special measures to protect civilians against the threat of ethnically motivated violence in areas where ethnic minorities identified with the earlier regime could be exposed to reprisals. In his reports, the Special Rapporteur drew attention to the plight of prisoners. Overcrowding, malnutrition and disease were reported, in particular in Sheberghan prison, which in November 2001 housed over 3,000 prisoners and where conditions clearly did not meet minimum standards of human treatment. The highest priority has to be accorded to security in order to protect lives and property. The building of a national army, which has begun, needs to be accelerated. In the meantime, ISAF must be expanded and deployed wherever needed beyond Kabul and its environs. A national human rights-sensitive police force must be developed to carry out law enforcement effectively and impartially. Urgent action should be taken to review prison conditions to ensure that prisoners are treated humanely, in conformity with internationally recognized standards.
