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Amnesty Says International Law Must Be Upheld in Afghanistan
LONDON, Oct 8 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Human rights group Amnesty International asked British Prime Minister Tony Blair for assurances Monday that international humanitarian law would be adhered to in military actions against Afghanistan, news agencies reported.
Since the September 11th attacks, Amnesty International has called for justice, not revenge.
"Now that the United States of America and the United Kingdom have launched military strikes against targets in Afghanistan, their forces and their Taliban opponents must ensure full respect for human rights and the rules and principles governing international armed conflicts," Amnesty International said in a statement released in London.
"In particular, both sides must take all necessary precautions to protect civilians. Vulnerable groups, such as women and ethnic minorities, must not be subject to further abuses. Captured combatants must be treated as Prisoners of War in accordance with the Third Geneva Convention," the statement added.
In addition to air strikes from the U.S. and U.K., the Afghan Northern Alliance is reported to have launched military attacks against forces of the Taliban, against whom they have been fighting since 1996.
"Both sides have been responsible for serious human rights abuses in the context of this conflict," Amnesty International said. "We call on them [U.S. and U.K.] to respect fully human rights and international humanitarian law."
"If any suspect of the crimes of September 11th is captured during military action, they should be brought to justice fairly and without the possibility of the death penalty," the group added, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
The U.S., the U.K. and Afghanistan are all parties to the four 1949 Geneva Conventions. The Conventions, together with their two 1977 Protocols and other international treaties, constitute international humanitarian law, also known as the "laws of war".
Amnesty called on all states neighboring Afghanistan to immediately open their borders and provide protection and humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees with the support of the international community.
"We welcome the commitments expressed by several countries to provide protection and assistance to Afghans who are displaced or otherwise in need of urgent help. However, we call on the international community at large to intensify efforts to respond to the humanitarian emergency inside Afghanistan and in the neighboring countries, which together already host the largest refugee population in the world," Amnesty International said.
With fears of a backlash against the Pakistani government in the event of civilian casualties, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf stressed that the attacks "were not a war against Afghanistan," according to BCC's service online.
Musharaf said earlier - in a televised speech to justify his government's cooperation with the U.S. in its attacks against Afghanistan - "Pakistan could not accept another influx of Afghan refugees and would not open its borders following U.S.-led attacks in Afghanistan."
He said that more than a million refugees could be expected to try to enter Pakistan following the U.S.-led strikes, but only the sick or infirm would be allowed to cross the border.
The Amnesty International request follows a similar appeal from Amnesty communications director Richard Bunting to the ruling Labor Party conference in Brighton last week.
"Let it not be forgotten that the victims of the dreadful assaults on the United States deserve a response that honors their memory by pursuing justice according to the highest standards of international humanitarian law," he said.
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