BBC Persian (Translated by RAWA), December 10, 2012

Afghan Demonstrators demand prosecution of war criminals on the International Human Rights Day

According to them, different government in Afghanistan and also the international forces, have either been involved in human rights violations or have been ‘silent’ in the face of these violations

A number of human rights activists organized a demonstration on the International Human Rights Day, and demanded the prosecution of those who according to them, have committed ‘war crimes’.

Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948, this day is celebrated every year.

(Photo: BBC Persian)

On Monday, the demonstrators, most of whom were women, criticized the current government, its predecessors and the international forces inside Afghanistan.

According to them, different government in Afghanistan and also the international forces, have either been involved in human rights violations or have been ‘silent’ in the face of these violations.

Reha Nawin, one of the organizers of the demonstration said, “We will continue our protests. We demand that the International Community which is headed by the US, and came to Afghanistan under the name of human rights, women’s rights and democracy, bring human rights and democracy.”

She said, “With the US here, crimes have increased, not decreased. Civil war is still continuing.”

Most of the protestors were carrying photos of the victims of the war in the last three decades.

47-year old Izatullah, one of the demonstrators, said that he had lost a number of his family members during the in-fighting, and some had been injured.

He said that he knows that he alone does not have the power to put human rights violators on trial, but took to roads on the International Human Rights Day, to comfort his conscience by shouting slogans against them.

(Photo: BBC Persian)

He said, “We are poor people. Even if we appeal, no one will listen to us. We cannot raise our voice out of fear either.”

‘Justice, justice’, ‘death to war criminals’ and ‘democracy without justice is meaningless’ were the main slogans of the participants of the demonstration.

The slogans of the protestors in Kabul were not just limited to human rights violations inside Afghanistan, some of them were carrying photos of Nasrin Sotodah, an Iranian activist.

Nasrin Sotodah is currently imprisoned in Iran.

Afghanistan’s human rights activists marched in Maiwand Road in central Kabul city, one of the busiest roads in the city, then went to the north-west part and placed flowers on the graves of some war victims.

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