Looming Elections Spotlight Urgency of Justice --- Afghanistan’s constitution bars any individuals “convicted of crimes against humanity, a criminal act or deprivation of civil rights by court” from running for elected office. But the Afghan government’s failure in the last decade to pursue criminal accountability for those responsible for grave crimes has rendered the provision ineffective. Since there have been no systematic investigations or prosecutions for past atrocities, no major commanders have been convicted for any of the massive abuses that have taken place in Afghanistan during the past 35 years of war. --- Numerous Afghan warlords, senior politicians, and members of the security forces have committed serious human rights abuses during the various armed conflicts that have devastated Afghanistan over the last three decades. Human Rights Watch has documented abuses in reports throughout the period, including 1984, 1985 and 1988 reports on abuses in the Soviet occupation era, a 1991 report on abuses committed after the Soviet withdrawal, a major report issued in 2005 about grave abuses committed in Kabul from 1992-1995, several documents and reports on Taliban era abuses, including a 1998 and 2000 report, two more before the September 11 attacks, and two more in 2001 after the attacks. Yet in the almost 13 years since the end of Taliban rule, the Afghan government has systematically blocked inquiries and efforts aimed at accountability for past abuses. - Human Rights Watch