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Warning shots by NATO/ISAF forces have killed and injured civilians when their vehicles
strayed too close to military convoys. In two separate incidents in December, a 7-year-old boy
and a 70-year-old man were killed after the vehicles they were travelling in failed to heed
NATO/ISAF warnings to stop.
37.
A number of measures to limit civilian deaths have been implemented by the
Government and NATO/ISAF. A radio announcement has been aired in Kandahar requesting
civilians to stay away from NATO/ISAF patrols, the Government has produced and aired radio
clips on the same subject, and warning signals have been prominently posted on the back of
international military convoys. At the end of 2006, NATO issued a statement that civilian
casualties were its single biggest failure in 2006 and that additional measures to reduce them
would be taken. I welcome this commitment.
V. IMPUNITY
Transitional justice
38.
The deterioration in the security situation during 2006 has limited the space for
transitional justice activities. The failure to prevent known human rights abusers standing for
and winning parliamentary seats, together with the continued practice of appointing individuals
suspected of human rights violations to senior positions in Government, has reinforced the
de facto state of impunity.
39.
These problems, and delays in promulgating it make the full implementation of the
Government’s Action Plan on Reconciliation, Peace and Justice within the three-year time frame
unlikely. Nevertheless, important steps have been taken. On 10 December, Human Rights Day,
President Karzai publicly launched the Action Plan and declared that 10 December would be a
National Day of Remembrance for victims and that a memorial to them would be built at
Pul-I-Charkhi prison near Kabul.
40.
As an illustration of the sensitive environment, a press release by Human Rights Watch in
the wake of the President’s launch of the Action Plan provoked a strong reaction from powerful
figures, some of them members of the Government or the legislature, who were named as past
human rights violators. The issue continued to simmer through January 2007, with Parliament
discussing the issue and claiming that there was a conspiracy against jihadi leaders.
41.
A “Core Group” on transitional justice, comprised of representatives of the President’s
Office, AIHRC, NGOs, various embassies and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights (OHCHR)/UNAMA, is coordinating and monitoring the efforts of stakeholders in the
implementation of the Action Plan. The Core Group is establishing implementation working
groups for the five key action areas under the Action Plan and engaging seven responsible
government ministries as leads or partners for implementation. The United Nations, in
coordination with AIHRC, will provide technical advice and training to focal points within these
ministries.
42.
The quality of appointments in the Government and administration remains of serious
concern, but there have been some positive developments. In November 2006, President Karzai
issued Presidential Order No. 2421 establishing a Special Advisory Board on Senior
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