PAGHMAN, Afghanistan, 15 September 2005 — A former Afghan Mujahedeen leader who is standing in the upcoming parliamentary election denied yesterday allegations that he had been involved in war crimes. Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayyaf, as head of the conservative Ittihad-e-Islami faction, helped battle the 1979-89 Soviet occupation and later fought against the Taleban. He is contesting a seat in the elections on Sunday.
Sayyaf said allegations of war crimes, first made by US-based Human Rights Watch in July, were directed “against us and against freedom of Afghanistan.” “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 this country,” he told reporters after a rally in his home constituency of Paghman northwest of Kabul.
Sayyaf said he would support any investigation into the abuses allegedly committed during the 1992-1996 civil strife, when several mujahedeen factions battled for power and caused widespread destruction in Kabul. “We want a pure, clear and sincere investigation. We want the facts to be uncovered, we want the facts to be well known to the nation.” Sayyaf said when he and other mujahedeen groups were fighting against the Russian invasion they were regarded as “heroes” but now they were dubbed as criminals.
“When we were rescuing the world from the dangers of the Red Army, at that time, where were the objections? In that time we were heroes, and now we are criminals,” he said. He hit back at critics who want former Muslim warriors to be barred from the elections. “If mujahedeen should not run for the election then who should run? Mujahedeen deserve it more than anyone else,” he added. Afghanistan is holding its first legislative elections in 30 years after almost a quarter-century of conflict.
Sayyaf is an ethnic Pashtun and a key supporter of US-backed President Hamid Karzai. Sporting a long gray 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.
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 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 Taleban, 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 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 institutionalize 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.
