The Amnesty International said Afghan government officials and parliamentarians suspected of serious human rights violations and war crimes were enjoying blatant impunity.
Many of them were also widely believed to be involved in corruption and criminal activities, but were rarely held accountable, said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty Internationals Asia-Pacific director.
In statement mailed to Pajhwok Afghan News, Zarifi said: "Afghans from around the country continue to tell us that they suffer from poor governance, endemic corruption, a weak and inept justice system and lack of respect for human rights and rule of law."
All those factors, he added, weakened support for the government and its international allies.
Amnesty International noted the recent presidential elections were marred by human rights abuses by the candidates as well as the Taliban insurgents' increasing attacks against civilians.
The watchdog raised concerns that the upcoming parliamentary elections, currently scheduled for August or September 2010, faced even greater human rights violations as well as Taliban violence.
"In order to rebuild the trust of the Afghan people and the international community, government officials and parliamentarians suspected of serious human rights violations must be kept out of the election process and held to account.
mud/pr
