Afganistan tänään

RAWA statement on the International Human Rights Day, Dec.10, 2003



Establishing human rights and democracy is possible only with the destruction of fundamentalism domination




Two years have elapsed since the US and its allies attacked Afghanistan under the slogan of "defending human rights", punishing their servants of yesterday and toppling their medieval-minded regime. But still we cannot trace any sign of stability, peace and security in the country. Instead, after the Taliban's demolition, their fascist brothers were installed into power for the second time; and these religious-fascist Jehadis act in a more bloody and heinous way than their Taliban brethren, violating human and women's rights, fanning religious and ethnic differences, looting, raping, and abusing our people in such a way as to even surpass the Taliban.

Now it is not only crystal clear for our people, but it is also clear for all the people of the world that despite the presence of peace-keeping forces (ISAF) and the tall claims of Mr. Karzai, Afghanistan still remains one of the centers of human rights violations.

-The violence continues against women. Uncountable incidents of rape; threats and forced marriages by the armed Jehadis; the unprecedented increase in the number of suicide and self-burning among women; the threatening of families for sending their girls to schools; the unremitting burning of girls' schools; women's feeling of not being safe while working outside home; the ban on women singing on radio and television; the growing numbers of women and widows who don't have any other option but begging and prostitution, etc. is in full swing.

- Murder, arrest and horrible torture by KhAD and so-called security officials due to ethnic, religious and factional reasons increases day by day.

-The feudal and fiefdom systems continue and the nonstop disputes among criminal Jehadis in all provinces as a result of which innocent people get killed, wounded or flee and get damaged financially.

-Burglary and break-ins to shops and offices, the collection of illegal taxes and customs, and the wasting and stealing of national riches and wealth by the warlords and their traitor leaders are rampant.

-Corruption and embezzlement, bribery, graft and unemployment are unchecked.

-The ministries and other governmental departments are spending a large portion of the foreign aids while the reconstruction process goes shamefully slow.

-All the Jehadi leaders are busy in poppy cultivation and heroin production before the eyes of thousands of US and NATO soldiers and this dirty business puts Afghanistan on the top of the list of the heroin producing countries.

-Despite claims regarding "freedom of expression", voices choke in their mouths and those who have the courage to express their uncompromising views face beatings, threats and bullets.

-Despite that fact that once in a while the crimes of the Jehadi leaders and their kith and kin and accomplices (such as the recent homes destruction and forced land possession in Shirpur area) catch the attention of the world and are highlighted in the world media, these traitors, without the least attention to this scandal, continue building their castles in Shirpur. The Shirpur scandal and disgrace alone shows that the terrorists of the Northern Alliance are the de facto force in the country and Karzai is a hostage in their hands.

- In a country where the murderers of university students, the murderers of Abdul Rehman and Haji Qadir, and just recently the murderers of a military officers in the compound of the Defense Ministry during a demonstration have not arrested and dragged into the court of law; talking about constitution, democracy and "legalization" is demagoguery and deceiving rhetoric.

- Majority of the refugees of unemployment, insecurity and the continuation of war and treasons by the Northern Alliance preferring the insulting, discourteous and painful life in Pakistan and Iran to life under the shadow of Jehadi terrorists. And those that have been returned are disappointed and regretful. Under the present condition, and given the treacherous nature of the Northern Alliance fundamentalists, they have no hope or optimism for the results of the Loya Jirga, constitution, elections, parliament, etc. As RAWA has said time and time again, the approval of the constitution and elections will be irrevocably tainted by the interference of the criminal armed people of the Northern Alliance- the most treacherous and aggressive threat to democracy. Unless the plague of fundamentalism is wiped out of our country, no law, elections, etc. could play any positive role in improving the economic and political situation. The constitution can only be truly democratic when it! is based on secularism as its fundamental component and pillar. But as long as the Jehadi leaders regard the separation of religion from state as an obstacle for their "happy and fancy rule", they will label secularism as "anti-Islam" so they can prolong their crime-ridden rule.

By relying on their weapons and wealth, the murderous Jehadi leaders and commanders- who consider the constitution as a valueless piece of paper- will never let the elections be "free" and "transparent".

News reveals that the majority of freedom-loving and popular candidates are not taking part in the elections of the Loya Jirga that is going to approve the constitution because of terror and threatening by the criminal fundamentalists. Thus, in reality, the coming Loya Jirga will be a collection of warlords that are going to cover their treasons and brutalities under the guise of "law" and thus stab their dagger of oppression deeper and deeper into the heart and mind of our captive people.

Unless the filthy gangs of Rabbani, Fahim, Khalili, Dostum, Sayyaf, Khalis, Ismail, Atta, etc. are wiped off the political scene of Afghanistan, any talk of freeing and legalizing Afghanistan will be just for deceiving our people and the world community. It should also be mentioned that Ismail Khan, by his pharaoh-like rule, wants to deceive the people by constructing some parks and buildings so he can cover his crimes against women. But his claims for freedom and human rights, when seen against the truth of his crimes, fade away.

The continuation of the present chaotic and anarchic situation and the support of the West for the Jehadi terrorists in Afghanistan prove and validate that America and its allies don't give any importance to human rights and women rights' the only values, they consider of importance are their own political and economic interests. Unless the West stops backing the Northern Alliance fundamentalists and starts supporting the independence-loving and freedom-loving forces, it (West) will be haunted by the threat of inhuman incidents like 11th of September by the Taliban, Al Qaida and similar forces.

The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan asks all freedom-loving forces and people to decisively endeavor and work by whatever means and ways possible to topple the fundamentalists in order to establish and secure democracy and human rights.




Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)
December 10, 2003