A bill that would grant amnesty to warlords and militants, including government officials accused by human rights groups of war crimes, is advancing through Afghanistan’s legislature.
The Telegraph reports that 25,000 former militants came to Kabul for a peaceful demonstration in support of the amnesty call, which the newspaper says was “triggered” by the execution of Saddam Hussein.
But more than two decades of invasion, jihad and civil war have taken their toll. According to the Institute for War & Peace Reporting, some members of Parliament walked out to protest the vote, and citizens on the street are in a similar mood.
“Parliament is a shelter for criminals,” a Kabul shopkeeper told the IWPR. “They are granting forgiveness for themselves.”
Sources:
“Afghans in no mood to forgive killers”
Institute for War & Peace Reporting, February 20, 2007
“Warlords rally to demand Afghan amnesty”
Telegraph (U.K.), February 25, 2007