Afghan parliament approves bill on amnesty for 'war criminals'

KABUL (AFP) - Afghanistan's warlord-filled parliament has approved a bill ruling out judicial proceedings against men accused of rights abuses in the past 25 years of conflict, a spokesman said. --- The National Reconciliation Bill says the "defenders" of the jihad "must be treated with respect and be defended against any kind of offence," Noori said. In a move to reconcile different communities, the law states that no political party or groups involved in the past two and a half decades of war will be pursued by the judiciary," he said. --- Joya, known for standing up to the jihadi commanders who occupy many of the seats in parliament, said the draft was unjust and went "against the will of the people." --- "National unity cannot be achieved through forgiving national traitors," she told AFP. "They must be tried. In fact, they have already been tried in the minds and hearts of people and they should be tried officially," she said. -- Only victims of abuse could choose to forgive the perpetrators, said Nader Nadery from the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. --- Kabul is still scarred by the civil war, which left the capital in ruins with estimates that around 80,000 people were killed in ethnically charged fighting.