Hekmatyar backs Prosecution of War Criminals!
Leader of Hezb-e Islami Gubuddin Hekmatayar says he will support prosecution of “war criminals” while he himself is accused of killing civilians and shelling Kabul by human rights bodies and Afghan people.
According to the Guardian, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former ally of al-Qaeda who has frequently being accused of war crimes, is now in the Afghan capital building a career in politics.
But he dismissed war crimes and torture as “lies”. He also denied he is reviled for his history of human rights abuse, including the indiscriminate shelling of civilians, targeted assassinations and disappearances of political opponents.
The newspaper wrote, in the 1980s he received more US assistance to fight the Soviet invasion than any other mujahideen, then later turned against his former American patrons, supporting and orchestrating attacks on US forces and civilians in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Hekmatyar called for others to be punished. “The families of martyrs must be respected,” he said. “If it is possible to punish the killers of these people, and people who did war crimes, we will support such courts.”
Human Rights Watch called the deal “an affront to victims of grave abuses”, which compounds a “culture of impunity” fostered by the government and foreign donors.
