In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
| A Monthly Publication Year Two Number One-Two-Three New
Jersey USA Subscription $10.00 Single Copy $1.00 Combined October-November-December 1998 Edition |
Afghanistan Voice:
A publication of
(APDA)
The Voice Demanding:
Democracy, Freedom,
Our Sincere and Cordial Wishes for a Happy Ramazan and a
May the Sacred Lailatul-Qadr Bring Peace and Prosperity in the Long Suffering Country of Afghanistan
Afghanistan Voice Enters
Its Second Year of Publication
Here at the beginning of a new year, I was musing and reflecting on the prospects and possibilities for the enormously challenging task that we have set for ourselves, namely raising the voice of a country that is wounded, a country whose voice has been altered from real to artificial under the weight of oppression and need. What chances, if any, does this country have for peace and democracy?
When we started campaigning for these two ideals, we had no illusions. We knew we were dreamers, of course. Every bit of reality facing the war-weary Afghanistan, pointed to more abuse from the opportunist neighbors. Despite all this, we hoped that the victory over the Soviet aggressors (in the Small Jihad) would be supplemented by (the Larger Jihad), namely the struggle against selfishness and greed, against incompetence and holding onto power for power's sake by the Jihadi leaders.
We did not see any improvement in the Mujahideen conduct, nor in the conspiracy hatched by the opportunist neighbors.
The chaos, lawlessness, and conflict did not end with the Mujahiddeen rule; neither did they stop with the Taliban coming to power. The Taliban, who came with the promise of peace, became warmongers and oppressors themselves. Little did the people know that the peace promised by the Taliban was in reality the peace of the graveyard, and the pure Islam they talked about was a catch phrase hiding the most heinous crimes that were to be perpetrated on the long suffering Afghan nation. The Deobandi school of intolerance and oppression taught in the madrasas of Pakistan shrewdly camouflaged the territorial and hegemonic ambitions of Pakistan. With one blow, Pakistan provided for communist revenge, international terrorism, and corporate greed to do a number on the ailing Afghanistan. Instead of peace, Afghans were given fear and terror, instead of democracy totalitarian control.
Democracy, which several decades ago had made a tentative, unsuccessful start under the direction of the former king and his commoner Prime Minister, the late Dr. Mohammad Yusuf, was dealt such a blow that made even dreaming of it by Afghans an impossibility for decades to come.
In the sixties, we remember the abuse of the democratic regime offered to the nation by the then ruling King Zahir Shah. It was undermined and abused by pro-Soviet communists, ethnic fascists, corruption, and greed. In those days, buying votes was a common sight. Shrewd landowners and khans knew they would get a hundred-fold return on their money spent to win a Parliament seat from which they would control the nation's destiny in favor of their petty, selfish goals.
Knowing that democracy is open to such abuse, especially in places where literacy, education, and social and economic feasibility are at a minimum, why are we still struggling for peace and democracy? What chances do we have to avoid facing internal and external sabotage?
To say we are not too aware of these forces undermining our efforts every step of the way is not true. Here, in this organization, where we are experimenting with democracy on a microcosm scale, we are not immune from serious problems? What stops a person or persons totally opposed to the ideals of peace and democracy from infiltrating the organization to steer it to one extreme or another?
All I can say is that we have a long way to go and our task is not easy. Under the circumstances, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of our actively getting involved in recruiting support of the right kind for this worthy cause.
Thank you all. Good morning, and welcome to the White House.
This is an historic day - Human Rights Day, 50 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
And I am pleased that we have members of the Cabinet. We have many human-rights activists, we have members of Congress. I want to welcome Representative Eddie B Johnson and Representative Tom Lantos We have members of the Roosevelt family and many friends of the cause of human rights, from religious organizations to civic organizations. And we are joining together with people and communities around the world to mark the 50th anniversary.
On this day in particular, we recall the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, who labored so long to help craft the declaration. "The destiny of human rights," she said, "is in the hands of all of our citizens in all our communities."
Many are gathered for observances in Paris, where the Declaration was adopted 50 years ago. The United Nations General Assembly in New York is holding a full day of commemoration and will adopt a declaration to protect the defenders of human rights around the world.
And in communities across the United States, Americans from all walks of life, from Hawaii to Maine, are demonstrating their strong support for human rights at town meetings and other celebrations, coordinated by the " In Your Hands Campaign" of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute.
Fifty years ago this remarkable document, both out of the ravages of militarism and fascism, set and a new international standard for human rights against which government and individuals would be judged. Its words are just as powerful today. "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." That sent and still sends a powerful message around the globe that human rights of all - of men and women, of rich and poor, of young and old - are sacred.
Today, we have come together to celebrate the progress that has been made as a result of this declaration and to honor four individuals who have dedicated their lives to ensuring that the Declaration, and what it stands for, continues to speak on behalf of the down-trodden and silenced and most vulnerable in our societies.
I want to take a moment also to recognize a number of young leaders who are here with us today, from Nigeria to Bosnia, Canada and Guatemala. These young people are working courageously in their own countries to secure human rights and democracy for the next century and millennium.
Eleanor Roosevelt once asked, "Where do human rights begin?" In small places, close to home, so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination."
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has lived up to Mrs. Roosevelt's hopes because it has, in fact, helped to change attitudes in small places, as well as entire governments. It has been used by many countries to write their own constitutions and has laid the groundwork for the world's war crime tribunals. It empowered participants in Vienna to affirm that both men and women are entitled to a range of protections and personal freedoms. And at the United Nation's fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, this document enabled us to say, for the world to hear, that human rights are women's rights, and women's rights are human rights.
Every day we see the declaration at work in the "small places" around the globe. Whenever people come together to protect a woman from abuse, to open a village health clinic, to end discrimination in all its forms, to secure the right to vote, we see the work of the declaration. Whenever citizens are given the tools of opportunity, like health care, education, and economic independence, we see the declaration at work. Whenever a child can grow up free of fear and violence, and is able to fulfill his or her God-given potential, we see the declaration at work.
The faces in the photographs behind us, of children and families from around the world, express the hope and pride in family and community that sustains those who continue to struggle for human rights. And I want to thank the human rights photographer Phil Borges for his extraordinary talents in bringing their lives closer to our own.
Everyone here today, however, knows how far we still have to go to ensure that the circle of human dignity embraces all citizens. Whenever it's young girls being sold into prostitution in Thailand, women who are victims of violence in their own homes here in this country or elsewhere, boys being used as human shields in Uganda, those recovering from the ravages of the Yugoslav conflict, those arrested in China for political activity: we have to recognize the depth of injustice and human suffering that still exists around us.
Perhaps the most egregious and systematic trampling of fundamental human rights of any person is taking place in Afghanistan today against women. Under the iron rule of the Taliban, where women used to make up to 40 percent of Afghan doctors, they are now forbidden to practice medicine. Where women were once half the teachers, they are now barred from teaching. Where girls used to go to school, the school doors are now slammed shut.
We have all heard the terrible stories of an elderly woman being flogged with a metal cable until her leg was broken because a bit of her ankle was showing under her burqa, the garment women wear to cover themselves from head to toe because otherwise they will be beaten and punished; of the thousands of war widows, the sole supporters of their families, many of whom are now begging on the streets to feed their children because they are forbidden to work.
The Taliban has imposed a draconian catch-22 on women. Health care for women has all but vanished. Women can no longer be treated by male doctors, yet women physicians are prohibited from working. I've read about a woman burn victim who died a terrible death and another with appendicitis who died after being turned away at two hospitals and the countless women and children whose health is deteriorating because of the Taliban's rules against male doctors treating women.
The Taliban has not only closed schools for girls, it has even forbidden land mine awareness instruction for women and older girls, leading to increased injuries from land mine explosions among the female
population. All of this suffering left one Afghan woman to lament, "A rocket or a bomb may kill all members of a family at once, but this is a slow death, which is more painful."
I'd like to recognize two Afghan-born women here today who have done invaluable work on behalf of the women and girls of Afghanistan. Zohra Rasekh of the Physicians for Human Rights, who, at great personal risk interviewed many of the victims of the Taliban and who then helped publicize their plight in the rest of the world, and Nazaneen Jabbar Khel, who has established a school which educates 700 Afghan girls from five different refugee camps in Pakistan. I would like both of them to stand. (Applause.)
We cannot allow these terrible crimes against women and girls-- and truly, against
all of humanity -- to continue with impunity. We must all make it unmistakably clear this terrible suffering inflicted on the women and girls of Afghanistan is not cultural, it is criminal. And we must do everything we can in our power to stop it.
I'm pleased that as many countries and nongovernmental organizations are taking action, including our government and many organizations here. Last year, the United States provided $3.9 million for education and health training for Afghan women and girls, and we remain committed to continuing these activities and creating new programs to support Afghan women in their efforts to secure their human rights and their access to health and education.
When we celebrate today the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we do have much to be thankful for. And many of us are living in societies and democracies that have gone such a far distance in the last 50 years to honor and protect human rights.
But let us not forget the hundreds of millions of people who are still at risk, the 100 million children who live in the streets, the 160 million children who are not even in primary school, those who are denied freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom to express an opinion, who have no choice that they can make to determine the course of their own lives.
This is not a marginal issue. Human rights goes to the very center of what we in the United States believe politics and democracy should be about. And so today we celebrate the programs, but we also challenge ourselves to continue to seek out opportunities, wherever possible, to do all that we can to eliminate the continuing scourge of human rights abuses, wherever they may be found.
I also would like to thank all of you who are on the front lines. We introduced two; there are others whom we could introduce. I appreciate greatly the work that you do to constantly prod our conscience and bring issues to public attention.
Now I would like to introduce someone who has helped to place human rights at the
center of American foreign policy, and who will honor those working in this country to bring Eleanor Roosevelt's legacy into the next millennium, the president of the United States. (Applause.) (All highlighting ours).
LOOK INTO MY WORLD
They made me a prisoner in shackles and in chains
Do you know of my guilt? Do you know of my sins?
These ignorant savages, who cannot see the light
keep beating me oppressing me, to show their might
They made me invisible, shrouded and non-being
A shadow, no existence, made silent and un-seeing
Tell me how to handle my anger and my rage?
They destroyed my country and sold it to invader
They massacred my people, my sisters and my mother
My children are dying, they murdered my own father
They killed all my brothers, without a thought or bother
The reign they impose dictates hate and fury
It butchers child and elder, no judge, defense or jury
It bans art and artists, punishes poets and writers
It sells drugs and armors, nurtures terrorist fighters
In destitute and misery, I hang to this life
I keep on trying to hold down the strife
Can you give me an answer? Do you know of my choice?
Am I the source of evil? Can you hear my voice?
Is this my religion? Is this the way of culture?
Do I deserve this fortune to be pray to vulture?
Pain is so intense, should I end this life?
Taking a cup of poison? Pierce the heart with knife?
My horrific persecution is based on my gender
Forced marriage, prostitution, my sell by offender
Seeking the way to redress, finding cruel injustice
Caught in the vicious circle, win peace? and win justice?
Seized in the web of horror, despair, fear, starkness
Lost in the world terror, death is near and darkness
World is beset in deafness, silent, cold and dormant
No one hears my laments, no one shares my torment
Listen to the typhoon's roar, it signifies my wailing
Look at the rains of hurricane, my tears with no railing
Hear me, feel my pain, you must share my sorrows
It could be you in chains, if not today, tomorrow
Join me in resistance, with no stop or pause
We can defeat this evil, be victors of my cause
This rule cannot detain me, I will defy and fight
To reach the dawn of freedom, I seek the justice light
I will crush these masters, I will burn this jail
I will tear these walls, in this accursed hell!
THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF
HUMAN RIGHTS DEDICATED TO MY AFGHAN SISTERS AND ALL THE WOMEN
WHO SUFFER THE SAME PLIGHT
DECEMBER 10, 1998
Women's Alliance for Peace and Human Rights in Afghanistan(WAPHA)
P. O. Box 77057
Washington, DC 20013-7057.
Tel: 202-882-1432,
Fax: 202-882-8125
E-mail: zieba@aol.com
For further information please contact: Zieba Shorish-Shamley, Ph. D.
APDA Demonstration In Front of the White House Press Release
Members of the Afghan Community in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Wish to Draw the Attention of the White House to the Following:
We demand an immediate withdrawal of Pakistani military advisors, mercenaries and fanatic forces from Afghanistan. It has been reported that well over 28 thousand Pakistani military and religious forces are currently engaged in the Taliban's brutal war against the people of Afghanistan. Recently, Abdul Wali Khan, leader of the National Awami Party of Pakistan, told the Islamabad-based Urdu-language Khabirin newspaper that Pakistan is deeply involved in the Afghan war and has established such military bases in that country. A few days ago, in a revealing report, Ahmad Rashid, a prominent Pakistani journalist, wrote: "Certainly Pakistan's Muslim militancy is becoming increasingly internationalized. That accounted for the presence of extremists from 35 countries at the Muridke convention in early November -and for Lashkar-e-Taiba's claim that 300 of its 'martyrs have been killed fighting alongside local Islamic forces [Taliban] in Afghanistan…'"
(Cont. on p. 7)
*************
A Poem by Qahhar Ossi
Translated by Sherief Fayez
Oh Evening
Oh brief evening
Take me with you
Take me with you to the faraway horizons
Here it is night again and no star in my name
Oh brief evening
Take me there where the plain of grass and light
Is furrowed
By the wanton kisses of the morning
Where the sun
Is evidence for reconcilement
Where love
Is the sweetest expression of our screams
*****
A Translation of a poem by Beidil from Dari to English by: Qasem Ghazanfar 6/8/98
From meadows to the chamber
There's boiling spring of mercy
Wherever the eyes open
They see nothing else but mercy!
You may go and think of darkness
Or imagine naught but light,
You will think the hidden side
Or the open side of mercy.
Atoms may be flying in
The wild fire of ignorance
Or indulge in contemplation
Of the fear of chastisement,
In the nature of creation
See preponderance of the fair
The blind eye is white, you see
Waiting all along for mercy.
Why should one's harvest of hope
Laugh out shame of being dry?
Sweating face ashamed of weakness
Waters wet the field of mercy.
Whose fault is it if you can't
Value high your own shortcomings?
What you have been naming sin
Is a mirror holding mercy.
Who has patience to be grateful
To the captain of the ship?
Lack of means is such a ship
All its own for heaven's mercy.
I rely on my abandon
Have no fear of what happens,
Loss of color on my face
Is insurance fine for mercy.
Rosaries are never needed
To repeat asking forgiveness,
While we live, our every breath
Is enumerating mercy.
The wild one, let him be loose,
Lost in plains of sinfulness How far can he roam away At the end hunted by mercy?
Heavens nine down to the earth Are all safe by Allah's throne
Merciful's visage is certain Of inevitable mercy!
If the evening blooms, O Beidil,
It is covering our faults, If the morning begins laughing It's another day of mercy.
Diwan-I Beidil, p. 170
(Cont. from p. 5)
It is no secret that Pakistani Islamic extremist groups--such as Sepah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-eTaiba (a newly established Taliban-style fanatic movement), Harakat-ul-Ansar and several other violent groups have close and ever growing links to Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (I.S.I.). It is also evident that all these groups, including the Taliban militia, are conducting their military operations in Afghanistan under the I.S.I.'s supervision, direction and patronage.
We call on President Clinton to make clear to Pakistan Premier Nawz Sharif that Pakistan must immediately and fully cease its direct military interference in Afghanistan and refrain from further supporting the Taliban.
We demand that Prime Minister Sharif restrain and prevent the I.S.I. and Pakistan's radical, fanatic groups from interfering in Afghanistan's internal affairs
1. Numerous reports published by human rights
organizations have indicated the extensive role
played by Pakistan's military personnel,
paramilitary militants, and Islamic extremist
groups in the Taliban's ethnic-cleansing
campaigns in northern Afghanistan. We
condemn Pakistan and their Taliban-servants'
atrocities and demand a complete and thorough
investigation of these and other war crimes
committed by them. We see Pakistan as
responsible for the mass killing of Afghanistan's
civilians, ethnocide, gender apartheid and all
other atrocities continuing to be perpetrated by
their puppets, the barbaric Taliban militia and
other Pakistani elements.
2. The infiltration of Afghanistan by Ossama bin
Laden and his Al-Qaida organization--which
includes several Arab terrorist groups--with the
direct military and logisticl involvement of
Pakistani Islamic extremist groups and
movements in the war in Afghanistan, has not
only perpetuated this bloody war in our country,
it has also threatened the stability of the region.
It is in the vital interest of the United States,
Afghanistan's neighboring countries and the
international community--including Pakistan--to
cooperate and seek to flush out from
Afghanistan all such foreign extremist and
terrorist elements and to allow the people of
Afghanistan to determine their political future
through a democratic process, in a peaceful
environment. We appeal to President Clinton to
put pressure on his guest, Prime Minister Sharif,
to withdraw Pakistani military advisors, officers,
personnel and Islamic militant groups from
Afghanistan and embark on a peaceful.
cooperative path toward ending the tragedy in
Afghanistan.
3. The claim by Taliban leaders that Ossama bin
Laden and his terrorist cohorts are widely
supported by Afghanistan's people is fallacious.
The Afghan people consider bin Laden and
other foreign invaders in Afghanistan as major
obstacles toward the cause of peace, democracy
and national reconciliation because the
perpetuation of the war, ethnocide, gender
apartheid and other heinous crimes being
committed by these elemernts and the Taliban
militia is partly financed and fueled by them, and
it is to their benefit and necessary to their
survival to keep Afghanistan in turmoil.
However, the only way to expel these
undesirable elements from Afghanistan is
through serious international efforts to end the
war in Afghanistan, put a stop to the crimes
against humanity being committed by the Taliban
and these elements and force the war-mongering
Taliban to accept a broad-based government in
Afghanistan. If the Taliban's leaders do not want
to respond to such peaceful efforts, the
remaining forces opposing the militia should and
must be strengthened and internationally
supported in their struggle to liberate
Afghanistan from this reign of terror
that feeds on terrorism, narcotics, and
religious extremism. The Taliban's misdeeds
and crimes against humanity, and Pakistan's
continued support of them, will undoubtedly and
inevitably cast the entire region into flames. This
malicious interference must come to an end in
war-torn Afghanistan.
4. In regards to Afghan refugees in Pakistan, we
demand that Prime Minister Sharif order a
thorough investigation of the abuses--such as
rape, forced marriage, arbitrary detention, forced
internal organ removals and extortion--committed
against these refugees in Pakistan, and to
prosecute and punish those found guilty of such
offenses.
The 12th Seminar on Afghanistan in Germany
Dr. Fetrat, APDA Presidential Council Member who attended the Seminar, is reporting:
The 12th Afghanistan Seminar was held on December 18-20, 1998, at the Evanelleche Akademie in Iserlohn, Germany. The arrangements were made by the German Friends of Afghanistan and Afghan Colleagues from the University of Bochum. The organizers were German Friends of Afghanistan Dr. Professor Von Renesse, their Afghan Colleagues Dr. Sami Noor and Dr. Amin Farhang. Dr. Rudiger Sereika coordinated the event with remarkable hospitality. Approximately 80 Afghan and German Friends of Afghanistan participated in this event. The presence of the Afghan youth among the attendants was heart warming. The scheduled speakers were prominent Afghan and German scholars and Dr. Thomas Gouttiere from USA. Dr. Citha Maass a member of a political research institute in Munchen who has visited Afghanistan on three occasions including a visitation with Mulla Omar gave an interesting birds eye view of the existing situation under the Taleban's rule. Dr. Maass' assessment was unbiased and fair. The highlights of her speech were about the unpredictability of the Taleban's future and their short sighted view of today's world affairs. Professor Thomas E. Gouttiere, an expert on the affairs of Afghanistan, gave a very well-prepared lecture on the socioeconomic and political situations existing in the five northern neighboring republics of Tajekistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazak and Kerghizistan. Dr. Thomas Gouttiere's scholarly assessment of the above republics was thorough, realistic, and geopolitically alarming for the region, particularly for the future of Afghanistan. Corruption in the government, social injustices, narcotic addiction among the people, mafia rule, money laundering, etc., indicate a very bleak future and an explosive situation particularly in Uzbekistan. Dr. Gouttiere added that most of the underprivileged people living in those republics are looking up to Islam as a solution and means of salvation, but not the Taliban version of Islam. Governments know the facts, but those in power play their game. Even some of them support the Taliban and want the Taliban to succeed in taking over Afghanistan in its entirety. Dr. Gouttiere mentioned the selling of 300 modern tanks to the Taliban by Turkmenistan's president's son in exchange for narcotic dollars. President Nazaroff's wish is for the Taliban to be the winner. As far as Taliban's creation, the speaker denied any connection. He stressed Unocal's lack of support of the Taliban in any form or shape, but he called Unocal's failure in building of the pipeline a big loss for Afghanistan.
Dr. Mult K. Ipsen, president of the German Red Cross and a staff member at the University of Bochum, presented a very interesting assessment of the humanitarian activities and difficulties that organizations, such as the International Red Cross, face in their daily humanitarian activities for the needy nations around the globe. To summarize, he said the time is now over for international humanitarian organizations to expect cooperation and respect from receiving countries. Usually, the aid that is sent to needy countries is mis-used and abused by the receiving parties. Many Afghans remember very well several examples of this reality during the Jihad against the Russian invaders.
Dr. Fazily, in his scholarly presentation, in a very meticulous way, drew the attention of the audience to the importance of understanding the nature of multiple factors playing a crucial role in the destiny of Afghanistan - namely the historic interest of all neighbors, particularly Pakistan and Iran. The analysis and conclusion which Dr. Fazily drew justifies a separate detailed report by itself.
The second half of the program, which was held under moderator Dr. Von Renesse, included activity reports by different NGO representatives. Ms. Karola Schaaf, director of Amnesty International in Hamburg; Mr. Obeidullah El-Mogaddedi, reporting VAF humanitarian aid and activities; Dr. Ulrike V. Pilar from Bonn and Ms. Brigitte Karwehl from Berlin, helping Afghan women; Ms. Nadia Karim, assisting Afghan children; Mrs. Rona Yousuf Mansuri from the Afghan Women Aid Organization.
As far as Mulla Naik Mohammad Naikmal's absence, it was understandable. The Taliban does not believe in dialogue. They think they can win by using the gun's barrel. Additionally, no Talib representative has the right to expose himself to people in public fearing people's interrogation. No communication under any circumstances is allowed. Mullah Naikmal faxed the invitation to Kandahar, and the response was a big No. Can't blame Mullah Naikmal. He is merely a representative of the Taliban without any authority to engage in any form of dialogue.
Professor Abdul Satar Seerat 's absence, representing former King Zahir Shah, was noticeable. Many guests were expecting him to live up to his promise. Particularly, German audience who have in the past supported the Zahir Shah supporter group at the tune of 80,000 DM to help organize their meeting in Bonn, Germany. Mr. Seerat and his group owe it to the Germans and to every Afghan. He should have come to give a report of his group's activities. After all, supporters deserve the courtesy. One expects Taliban's representative to behave as he did, but former King Zahir Shah's speaker is morally obliged not to keep the nation in a state of agony forever.
In the last half of the third day, Dr. Abdullah, the deputy foreign minister of Islamic Government of Afghanistan was scheduled to address the Seminar audience. Unfortunately, he didn't show up either. However, Mr. A. Wali Masoud, in charge of Afghan embassy in London, as a substitute for Dr. Abdullah, did a good job as far as describing in detailed fashion, the present situation of defending areas under the control of his brother, Commander Ahmad Shah Masoud fighting against aggressor Taliban and their Pakistani allies. A detailed report about the most recent gathering of approximately 300 prominent commanders in Panjsher Valley and their resolution to form a united front under the leadership of Commander Masoud to fight against Pakistani and Taliban aggressors and also to their determination to form a Political Activity Council consisting of Afghans from inside and those residing outside of Afghanistan, was a very encouraging news.
At the last moment of this very productive Seminar, I spoke about the necessity for further communications among Afghans and taking action than offering empty promises for cooperation.
As an overall assessment, the Iserlohn Seminar was very constructive and informative. German friends of Afghanistan who took their time in very busy and special Christmas Season in organizing this valuable seminar with their Afghan colleagues is to be applauded and congratulated.
BBC- A UN investigator has called for those responsible for a massacre in which up to 8,000 were killed in northern Afghanistan to be brought to justice. The killings occurred when the Taleban took over the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in August.
Investigator Choong-Hyun Paik said the Taleban carried out ''widespread and indiscriminate shootings'' in a killing frenzy directed mainly at the Hazara Shi'ite minority.
Some victims had their throats slit, or were bayonetted to death, said Mr. Paik, a special rapporteur for the UN Human Rights Commission. The dead included 10 Iranian diplomats and an Iranian journalist, whose disappearance prompted a crisis in relations between Iran and the Taleban.
Mr. Paik urged the UN to investigate the human rights violations in Afghanistan, including reports of mass killings, and suggested aerial photographs be taken of reported sites of mass graves.
He said those found responsible for violations should be brought to justice. 'Profoundly disturbing reports'. Outlining the grim details, in his report Mr. Paik expressed ''particular shock and dismay'' at the killings that took place in August and September.
"The scale of violations in Afghanistan and suffering of the civilian population warrants the urgent attention of the world community,'' he wrote.
"The special rapporteur is horrified by the latest reports from Afghanistan, which are profoundly disturbing and indicate a worsening pattern of grave human rights violations. "He would like to reiterate that silence cannot be the strategy of the international community."
The purist Islamist Taleban movement now controls most of Afghanistan but is only recognised as the legitimate government by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. 'Baby girls were beaten to death'. Describing the takeover of Mazar-i-Sharif on 8 August, Mr. Paik said Taleban forces had shot anyone they saw moving on the streets, as well as people looking out their windows or doorways.
"Numerous shopkeepers, beggars and 35 boys selling soft drinks in the street were killed in this manner," he added.
He said it was estimated that around 3,000 Hazaras, a Shi'ite ethnic minority which fought against the Sunni Taleban in 1997, were summarily executed, in their homes or in the street, during the first six days after the takeover.
In the Ghorband Valley, more than 1,000 villagers were massacred, he said.
"The pattern of the killings observed showed that men, women and male children were shot, while baby girls were kicked or beaten to death."
The Taleban said Mr. Paik's findings were baseless.
At Kabul’s largest orphanage, where 400
Children live, there is no money for shoes for the smallest children. They huddle around a single stove for heat, and most have a constant cough. There is little medicine and several children lie bundled in dirty woolen blankets, shivering. Those of us blessed with the privileges of living in the United States often forget that, for such destitute and defenseless people, daily life is a constant struggle. Members of Help the Afghan Children, Inc. will be traveling to Kabul, Afghanistan on or before 27th of January to deliver the emergency food, blankets, medicine, etc. to the desperate children of the orphanage in Kabul. As you celebrate the holiday season, would you also join us in this effort? Your donation will help lives in more ways than either you or I can imagine.
1ST VIRGINIA BANK ACCT. NO. 0000-1602-0560-01118-0602-7733