In November 2001, as many as 2,000 Taliban prisoners are believed to have been killed in container trucks by US-allied Afghan troops and buried in a mass grave in Dasht-e Leili, Afghanistan. These Afghan troops were operating jointly with American forces, who were allegedly present at the scene of the crime. PHR investigators discovered the mass grave in 2002. (More...)
Posted on Monday, Dec 22, 2008 at 5:51 pm by Ben Greenberg
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Media Contact:
Jonathan Hutson
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(Cambridge, MA) – Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) calls upon Afghan, UN, and NATO authorities to cease evading responsibility and to act immediately to secure the mass grave site at Dasht-e-Leili in northern Afghanistan. During the past 72 hours, PHR has sent separate letters demanding action to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and General David McKiernan, Commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan.
PHR has called repeatedly for the protection of the site and for security for witnesses since first discovering the mass grave in 2002. As PHR has done in more than a dozen communications since 2002, the Karzai and McKiernan letters have requested specific assurances that authorities would act. PHR has urged the Afghan government to request NATO assistance in securing the Dasht-e-Leili grave, and has asked NATO step forward to provide security. To date, it appears that neither of these things has happened, and that each entity is waiting for someone else to make the first move.
PHR is concerned that the delay in action on all sides may be allowing for additional destruction of evidence and further endangerment of witnesses at the Dasht-e-Leili site.
“To do nothing about what has happened at Dasht-e-Leili would be sending a clear signal to the victims of war in Afghanistan that their situation will not be addressed,” said PHR CEO Frank Donaghue. “The first step towards any type of justice is to secure the evidence of crimes committed. This hasn’t happened yet. PHR feels strongly that we must take the lead of mothers who have demonstrated for the truth in the streets of Kabul and do everything possible to hold accountable the perpetrators of mass atrocities. It is never a good strategy to ignore mass killings such as the ones allegedly connected to Dasht-e-Leili, since peace and stability require truth and justice.”
PHR repeated its call for the US to provide vital assistance to the UN and the government of Afghanistan by declassifying and releasing all satellite imagery of the Dasht-e-Leili site and the surrounding area. These satellite images could provide evidence of past mass burials, as well as the recent destruction of the site, and may assist in locating where remains were placed after their removal from Dasht-e-Leili.
“The site at Dasht-e-Leili is extremely complicated,” said Stefan Schmitt, director of PHR’s International Forensic Program. “It contains evidence of mass atrocities from different events, which now includes signs of site tampering. It is critical that as part of any investigation an international team of forensic specialists provide the necessary scientific approach to document such a complex crime scene.”
As PHR knows from our work in Bosnia, Rwanda, Central America and elsewhere, communities that have lost loved ones in mass killings—especially the mothers, siblings, and children of victims—have a right to the truth and to justice, including identification and return of remains. The demands of mothers and families demonstrating in the streets of Kabul over the last few days show that the Afghan people are demanding that those who have committed mass atrocities be held accountable. Peace and stability require truth and justice; it never pays to ignore mass graves and the atrocities associated with them.
Here is some brief footage from the recent protests in Kabul.
Posted on Monday, Dec 15, 2008 at 6:59 pm by Ben Greenberg
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Jonathan Hutson
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Cambridge, MA (PRWEB) December 15, 2008 — In response to the UN’s December 15 pledge to help Afghan authorities protect a mass grave site in northern Afghanistan that may contain evidence of war crimes, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) calls upon US Army General David McKiernan, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, to assist the UN in preserving any remaining evidence and protecting any surviving witnesses. PHR also calls on the US government to provide the Afghan Government, the UN and the US Congress a declassified analysis of satellite imagery of the site from November 2001 to the present.
“PHR is gratified that the UN is calling for the site to be protected, and that they have pledged to assist Afghan authorities in that crucial task,” said PHR CEO Frank Donaghue. “However, full protection of the grave will be dependent upon NATO forces being given the mandate to preserve any remaining evidence and safeguard any surviving witnesses.”
PHR further stated that:
NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan should provide the troops and logistics to enable this to happen right away. ISAF is currently under the command of Gen. McKiernan, who reports to CENTCOM Commander Gen. David Petraeus. The UN does not currently have security forces in Afghanistan; NATO troops already stationed in the area are the logical choice.
A full security cordon must be established around the area with round-the-clock guards, as was done with major alleged crime scenes of this type in Bosnia and Croatia during the Balkan wars. A full forensic investigation to assess and document the extent of damage to this site can occur only if the site has been secured for evidentiary as well as personal security reasons.
Afghanistan, with the UN and international community, must launch an investigation into the initial November 2001 incident as well as the likely destruction of evidence. Removal of evidence of an atrocity is in itself a crime, under the Geneva Conventions.
The Bush Administration needs to answer questions of who knew what and when, provide information on what they did or failed to do to secure the site, present detailed accounts of their internal investigations, and support accountability.
PHR requests that the US declassify satellite imagery over this particular site and the surrounding area from November 2001 to the present that would show both changes to the site in 2001 and the recent removal of massive amounts of soil from it and its disposition, and make the images available to the Afghan government, the UN, Congress, and other responsible parties.
“As PHR knows from our work in Bosnia, Rwanda, Central America and elsewhere, communities that have lost loved ones in mass killings—especially the mothers, siblings, and children of victims—have a right to the truth and to justice, including identification and return of remains,” said Donaghue. “The demands of mothers and families demonstrating in the streets of Kabul over the last few days show that the Afghan people are demanding that those who have committed mass atrocities be held accountable. Peace and stability require truth and justice; it never pays to ignore mass graves and the atrocities associated with them.”
KABUL, 15 December 2008 (IRIN) - Amid growing concerns about a reported excavation at a mass grave site in northern Afghanistan, a senior UN official has said the organisation is committed to help Afghan authorities preserve such sites in order to protect evidence of crimes committed over the past three decades of war in the country.
“The United Nations remains ready to assist all Afghan stakeholders, including victim groups, to take immediate and concerted action to preserve grave sites,” Norah Niland, representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Kabul, told IRIN.
“At a minimum, victims have a right to the truth, and the preservation of evidence is a critical element in understanding and addressing the legacy of past atrocities,” said Niland, who also works as head of the human rights unit at the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
The UN announcement makes specific reference to the human remains removed from the Dasht-e-Leili mass grave site and to PHR’s call for an investigation.
The UN has confirmed that at least one grave site in the northern province of Sheberghan, where thousands of men allegedly associated with the Taliban were dumped in late 2001, has recently been disturbed.
It is unclear who took away human remains from the Dasht-e-Leili gravesite but many accuse Abdul Rashid Dostum, a powerful Uzbek warlord, because of his alleged involvement in the massacre of Taliban prisoners in 2001-2002. Dostum has denied the charges.
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) – a Washington-based NGO investigating human rights violations – has called for an immediate investigation into the reported disturbance.
“Removing evidence of an alleged mass atrocity is itself a war crime and must be investigated… this destruction is a devastating blow to the effort to learn the truth of Dasht-e-Leili,” Frank Donaghue, chief executive officer of PHR, was quoted as saying in a press release on 12 December.
According to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), active efforts to block investigations of Dasht-e-Leili and other mass graves have been obstacles to a full accounting of the dead and to learning what has happened in these possible war crimes.
Little or no effort has been made so far to shed light on the identities of victims and those responsible for the crimes.
Zia Langari, a commissioner at the AIHRC, told IRIN: “Some powerful people block investigations into mass graves because they fear this would jeopardise their positions.”
Langari’s concern was echoed by Niland of UNAMA: “There are powerful elements that do not want investigations into mass graves.”
Posted on Saturday, Dec 13, 2008 at 6:49 pm by Ben Greenberg
Yesterday, UN spokesperson Dan McNorton confirmed the report by McClatchy Newspapers concerning the mass grave in Dasht-e-Leili, Afghanistan. AP reporter Heidi Vogt, in the USA Today reports:
The U.N. confirmed Friday that a mass grave in northern Afghanistan has been disturbed, raising the possibility that evidence supporting allegations of a massacre seven years ago may have been removed.
The Dasht-e-Leili grave site holds as many as 2,000 bodies of Taliban prisoners who died in transit after surrendering during one of the regime’s last stands in November 2001, according to a State Department report from 2002.
McClatchy Newspapers first reported the tampering with the grave site on Thursday.
“We can confirm that the site at Dasht-e-Leili has been disturbed,” said Dan McNorton, a spokesman for the U.N. mission in Afghanistan. He declined to say how or when the site had changed, saying that details would be available in an upcoming report.
The AP also reported rumors that there was burning of some of the evidence from the mass grave and recalled some of the past circumstances surrounding the mass grave, including the torture, murder and disappearances of eye witnesses to the original crimes; additional mass grave sites; and alleged mass suffocation in sealed container trucks of some of the detainees who are believed to have been dumped and buried at the Dasht-e-Leili site.
The U.N. in Afghanistan had acknowledged to McClatchy that it knew of the digging — reportedly by backhoes or bulldozers, or maybe both — but said in statement that it previously had decided not to publicly acknowledge it.
The UN report alluded to by Dan McNorton will therefore be a welcome addition to the cause of finding out the truth and obtaining justice for these alleged atrocities.
The McClatchy follow up piece continues:
A U.N. spokesman in New York, Farhan Haq, said Friday evening that, “We’re certainly opposed to any disturbance of the gravesite.”
Asked about PHR’s call for an investigation, Haq said that the U.N. team in Afghanistan would have to examine the matter before he could comment.
The gravesite area, which a previous State Department cable said could hold as many as 2,000 bodies, was dug up during the past year. A U.N.-sponsored PHR team discovered two large pits in the grave area during a June-July trip to Afghanistan, and a McClatchy reporter found three new holes there last month.
“Removing evidence of an alleged mass atrocity is itself a war crime and must be investigated,” PHR’s chief executive officer, Frank Donaghue said in a statement Friday. “The Afghan Government, with the support of the U.N. and the international community, must move quickly to protect the site.”
However, without security assistance from NATO troops in Afghanistan, who’re commanded by a U.S. general, the government in Kabul won’t be able to secure the gravesite, Donaghue said in an interview with McClatchy Friday evening.
Donaghue said that a NATO-controlled team was based less than three miles from the site, and that securing it is “something the … team could do tonight if they wanted to.”
The Afghan Government should be supported in an investigation with the assistance of the UN, the United States and ISAF (International Security Assistance Force). Any remains or evidence of criminal activity at Dasht-e-Leili must be secured immediately and witnesses must be protected.
Congress, the Pentagon and the CIA must finally publicly determine the extent of US responsibility for these alleged atrocities and disclose who in the US Government knew what about the alleged murder of the prisoners and what they did or did not do about it.
The Afghan Government must register and protect other mass grave sites in Afghanistan. It must be made clear to the Afghan people and the international community which authorities have responsibility over each location.
As PHR CEO Frank Donaghue has said: “It’s time for truth and accountability, and a restoration of the rule of law. Respect for human rights demands nothing less.”
Posted on Friday, Dec 12, 2008 at 8:29 am by Ben Greenberg
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Jonathan Hutson
jhutson [at] phrusa [dot] org
Tel: (617) 301-4210
Cell: (857) 919-5130
CAMBRIDGE, MA—Reports that Afghan warlord General Abdul Rashid Dostum removed evidence of potential war crimes from the Dasht-e-Leili mass grave in northern Afghanistan, as revealed yesterday by McClatchy Newspapers, demand investigation both in Afghanistan and in the United States, stated Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). Dasht-e-Leili is allegedly the burial location of as many as 2,000 prisoners who surrendered to the Afghan Northern Alliance and to US Special Forces in November 2001 after the fall of the Afghan city of Kunduz. According to reports, General Dostum’s forces suffocated the prisoners in sealed cargo containers during transport, then buried them at the site.
“Removing evidence of an alleged mass atrocity is itself a war crime and must be investigated,” said Frank Donaghue, Chief Executive Officer of PHR. “The Afghan Government, with the support of the UN and the international community, must move quickly to protect the site.”
PHR researchers discovered the mass grave in January 2002. The human rights group’s forensic experts examined the site under the auspices of the UN in May 2002, producing a full report of their findings. Subsequently, PHR experts contracted to the UN exhumed the remains of fifteen individuals from the mass grave, and conducted autopsies on three of these, determining that the cause of their deaths was consistent with suffocation. The experts concluded that the deaths were homicides. For seven years, PHR has advocated to the United Nations, the Afghan Government, the United States, and other NATO countries for a full investigation of the alleged massacre and for protection of the evidence contained in the gravesite.
”This destruction is a devastating blow to the effort to learn the truth of Dasht-e-Leili,” said Donaghue. “The US and the Afghan Government must finally fulfill their responsibilities under international law.”
In June 2006, as part of its ongoing investigation of Dasht-e-Leili, PHR filed a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request with the US Department of Defense, the State Department, and the CIA. PHR today released the US Government’s 2008 response to the FOIA.
The FOIA response reveals startling information that contradicts official US public statements. The Bush Administration stated in 2002 that only several dozen prisoners had died during transport to Sheberghan prison after surrendering to General Dostum and to US Special Forces. The FOIA response, however, contains a State Department intelligence assessment from November 2002 advising government officials that the remains of between 1,500 and 2,000 individuals were deposited at the site, and that approximately four Afghans who witnessed the death of the prisoners and/or the disposal of their remains had been detained, tortured, killed, and/or disappeared. Despite having this information, the US Government did not revise its public statements on the issue, nor did it launch a vigorous investigation into the circumstances surrounding these alleged crimes.
“The Bush Administration’s willful failure to investigate Dasht-e-Leili is a stark example of its disregard for international and US standards of detainee treatment,” stated Donaghue.
The FOIA response calls into question the US Government’s inaction in light of its responsibilities under the Geneva Conventions and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. These laws require full investigation and accountability for war crimes undertaken by allies during joint military operations. During the time in question, US Army and CIA personnel were advising, equipping and protecting General Dostum, and both parties received the prisoners who surrendered at Kunduz.
PHR Recommendations
The Afghan Government should be supported in an investigation with the assistance of the UN, the United States and ISAF (International Security Assistance Force). Any remains or evidence of criminal activity at Dasht-e-Leili must be secured immediately and witnesses must be protected.
Congress, the Pentagon and the CIA must finally publicly determine the extent of US responsibility for these alleged atrocities and disclose who in the US Government knew what about the alleged murder of the prisoners and what they did or did not do about it.
The Afghan Government must register and protect other mass grave sites in Afghanistan. It must be made clear to the Afghan people and the international community which authorities have responsibility over each location.
Posted on Thursday, Dec 11, 2008 at 6:28 pm by Ben Greenberg
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Jonathan Hutson
jhutson [at] phrusa [dot] org
Tel: (617) 301-4210
Cell: (857) 919-5130
Investigative reports by McClatchy newspapers, as well as PHR’s own findings, have revealed that large sections of the Dasht-e-Leili mass grave in Northern Afghanistan have been dug up and removed.
PHR discovered this grave site in 2002. Reportedly, this site may have contained the bodies of as many as 2,000 prisoners who surrendered to the forces of Afghan warlord, General Abdul Rasheed Dostum and US commandos in November 2001.
For seven years PHR has been investigating allegations that these prisoners were suffocated in cargo containers and dumped in the desert.
Reportedly, this evidence of potential war crimes was removed during the past year by the forces of General Dostum.
Our efforts on this case have involved PHR’s International Forensic Program, which has documented human rights violations and mass atrocities around the world.
PHR investigators discovered this mass grave in 2002, as reported in a Newsweek magazine special report. Our forensic scientists conducted an initial assessment of the grave for the UN and performed preliminary autopsies of several bodies at the site.
Now, in the wake of these revelations of the destruction of the grave site, PHR is calling on Afghan President Karzai and the United Nations to ensure that any remaining evidence at the site be secured.
Congress must hold a full, public inquiry into what the Bush Administration knew about these events and what they did or did not do about it. It’s time for truth and accountability, and a restoration of the rule of law. Respect for human rights demands nothing less.
In November 2001, as many as 2,000 Taliban prisoners are believed to have been killed in container trucks by US-allied Afghan troops and buried in a mass grave in Dasht-e Leili, Afghanistan. These Afghan troops were operating jointly with American forces, who were allegedly present at the scene of the crime. PHR investigators discovered the mass grave in 2002. (More...)
2008-12-22 PHR Letter to General David D. McKiernan (USA) (103.8 KB)
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