As Karzai was sworn in for a second term, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that warlords, criminals and rights abusers should not hold positions of authority in national or local government, or the security forces of
Brad Adams,
"Karzai and his international backers should realise that it's now or never to regain the trust of the Afghan people,"
Over the past eight years, the group alleged, neither the
It called on the
"This includes addressing Afghan perceptions of corruption in foreign aid programmes, distancing all diplomatic and military personnel from criminal actors, and ending contracts with private security contractors and unregistered armed groups that are tied to criminal networks," the press release said.
"Influential governments should set a good example by cleaning up their own acts and stop dealing with the wrong people, he said. HRW called on Karzai to make the following commitments:
Ensure that no known human rights abusers or corrupt individuals are appointed to his cabinet, as advisers, or to provincial or local government.
Create a strong and independent vetting body and mechanism to exclude known human rights abusers and corrupt individuals from all levels of government. Create an independent vetting process for the 2010 parliamentary elections.
Make a strong and principled commitment to womens rights by appointing women to key positions in the cabinet, and to not relegate them to second-tier or isolated positions. Repeal the discriminatory Shia Personal Status Law and strengthen the Elimination of Violence Against Women Law now under consideration in parliament.
Ensure that any build up of the Afghan security forces is sustainable through adequate training, oversight, and accountability. Otherwise, new recruits are likely to commit abuses and engage in corruption, further alienating them from the public.
Train the police in crime prevention and crime-solving instead of using them primarily as paramilitaries in order to strengthen the rule of law.
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