| Afghan warlord backs abuse probe, says not guilty Reuters
09/14/2005
By David Brunnstrom
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PAGHMAN - A former mujahideen leader accused of war crimes said on Wednesday he supports an investigation into abuses during Afghanistan's long civil war. But Abdul Rabb Rasoul Sayyaf, whose Ittihad-i-Islami faction battled Soviet occupiers in the 1980s and helped U.S.-led forces to oust the Taliban in 2001, denied wrongdoing and defended his right to stand in Sunday's parliamentary elections. "If there was some proof that I had committed some crimes, then I will be responsible for that, but I am sure that we have worked for the freedom of the country," he told reporters during a campaign rally in Paghman, a district west of Kabul. "We have struggled against crimes and didn't commit crimes," he said. "These are only the claims of those who are against us and against the freedom of this country." Sayyaf said he supported the punishment of criminals, but investigations needed to be done impartially. "We want a pure and clear and sincere investigation," he said. "We want the facts to be uncovered. We want the facts to be well known to the nation." Sayyaf rejected charges from critics who say he and other mujahideen (holy warrior) commanders accused of rights abuses should not have been allowed to stand in the elections, the next big step in Afghanistan's difficult path to stability. "When we were rescuing the world from the dangers of the Red Army -- in that time, where were the objections? In that time we were heroes, and now we are criminals? Sayyaf is an ethnic Pashtun and a key supporter of U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai. Sporting a long grey beard, a turban and traditional robes, he is among the most conservative Islamist figures standing in the elections. A Human Rights Watch report in July accused Ittihad of widespread killing and abduction of rival ethnic Hazara civilians during battles for control of western Kabul in the 1990s and said Sayyaf was directly implicated in the abuses. "STRONG PROOF" Sam Zarifi, deputy director for Asia for the rights group, welcomed Sayyaf's support for an investigation, but said he himself had a lot to answer for. "There is very strong proof, including reporting by Human Rights Watch, that Mr Sayyaf's forces were involved in crimes against humanity and war crimes in Kabul between 1992 and 1995, especially," he told Reuters. "It's not just him -- there are lot of others, but we hope from what we heard today that there is a commitment on the part of the government to start looking for justice." Zarifi said there were also allegations that, since the overthrow of the Taliban, Sayyaf and other warlords had been involved in intimidation of political rivals, contributing to a prevailing atmosphere of fear. He said it was telling that armed militiamen, including a machine-gunner posted on the roof of the mosque where Sayyaf was speaking, had attended the campaign rally in Paghman. "It really raises questions. There is no threat directed at Mr Sayyaf, certainly not in this area. The presence of armed troops at what is ostensibly a campaign rally says a lot about the intimidating presence of such people on the electoral rolls." A total of 45 candidates have been barred from the elections, most for links to illegal armed groups, but no prominent figure is among them, raising concerns that the polls will help institutionalise a culture of impunity. This week, Karzai defended the fact that Sayyaf and others accused of rights abuses had been allowed to run in the polls, saying it was in the interests of national reconciliation. He said voters had the choice of who to vote for and, if there was a tribunal to prosecute abuses, parliament could decide whether to lift the immunity of anyone elected. Many ordinary Afghans have been bemused by the presence of warlords' names on poll lists, but from Paghman at least it appears Sayyaf can expect a solid show of support. Nineteen-year-old student Rahifullhah, walking past Paghman's jewel-blue Qarghar Lake, said Sayyaf was respected as a jihadi (holy war) commander who worked for the good of the people. He dismissed the idea that he had been responsible for war crimes. "I don't agree with that," he said. "People can decide for themselves who they want to vote for, but I don't want to hear that people are saying that."
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