Author: Sayed Hussain Hussainy

In the name of Almighty Allah CSHRN's statement over General Dostum's apology from the victims of wars and the people of Afghanistan Thursday, October 10, 2013 Kabul-Afghanistan Afghans have suffered lots of painful and bitter days especially during the last 30 years and yet suffering the huge impact of human rights violation in the country. However, not only the Afghan government did not fulfilled its commitments over implementation of «the state's action plan for peace, reconciliation and justice» besides, during the last 12 years, efforts have been made to impose the «Oblivion policy» under the name of Pardon and impunity on war victims in Afghanistan, the instance for this can be ratifying «the National Reconciliation Charter». But, acknowledging the suffering and pains of Afghan people, promotion and provision of justice for war victims have been remained unfinished in the agenda of civil society institutions and defenders of war victims. Acknowledging the pain and sufferings of the victims is respecting their human values and dignity, therefore apology of the engaged parties in the war is the first step in forming a national discourse regarding the painful past and in the bright of these facts and passion there will be an opportunity for accountability of the past incidents. The Civil Society and Human Rights Network of Afghanistan (CSHRN) which is consisted of 124 civil institutions, appreciates this action of General Abdul Rashid Dostum, the leader and founder of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, over apologizing from the victims of wars and recalling on the other involved figures and considers this as part of the fundamental principles of transitional justice and an effective step for initiating a national discourse on the painful past and violation of human rights in Afghanistan; and would like to express the following points regarding this…

 Awakening shock Afghanistan is a country of blood and tragedy. Different stages of its history, witnesses terrible crimes against humanity. During the last three decades, starting from the military coup of April 27, 1978, known as Sawour revolution up to the Taliban era or even so far, the country have been suffering many crimes against humanity, massacres and different kinds of destructions, through which thousands of people have lost their lives and many others, who are still under burdens of cruelty and organized crimes have been forgotten. Revealing the list of almost 5000 victims of organized murders that took place in 1978 and 1979, during Nurmahmad Taraki and Hafizullah Amin's era is an example of such crimes against humanity in the country. The list contains the names of those, who have been murdered through various allegations by AGSA, the secret police investigation department of that time. In terms of their location, the victims cover many areas of Afghanistan. Hence, releasing such a list after about 35 years put all people of the country in mourning and tragedy. There was no news about them for ages, at least now we realized that cruelty and crimes had taken their lives at the very beginning days and months when they were vanished or arrested, but many of the families of the victims were still unable to accept their deaths and were yet willing to see their love ones alive again; but these hopes were not that much high to encourage them talk about this long-term tragedy and get happy by hopping that they will return one day. The long years of crimes and inhumanity had taken away the opportunities from the hoping families of the victims to rely on their unsupported hopes. Hence, most families had kept hidden the memories and…