Human Rights Watch Accuses U.S. of Violations of Fundamental Rights in Afghanistan

On March 8, 2004, Human Rights Watch published a report of large scale abuses of international human rights and international humanitarian law (laws of war) during its military and law enforcement operations in Afghanistan. Ironically the report explains that the reason for the U.S. operations in Afghanistan has been to safeguard national security and liberate the people of Afghanistan from the cruel and capricious rule of the Taliban. The report focuses on how U.S. forces arrest and detain persons in Afghanistan. It reviews numerous abuses by U.S. forces, including cases of excessive force during arrests, arbitrary and indefinite detention; and mistreatment of detainees. The report also discusses the overall legal deficiencies of the U.S.-administered detention system in Afghanistan, which operates almost entirely outside of the rule of law...[more]