E/CN.4/1998/71
page 14
perform religious ceremonies on headless bodies. General Dostom alleged that the killings were ordered by his former deputy, General Abdul Malik. Apart from killing the Taliban prisoners as former and potential military opponents, allegations were made that the other killings were perpetrated out of revenge, in particular for the death in June 1996 of General Abdul Malik's brother, Rasul Pahlawan, as well as in order to eliminate potential military and political opponents from local militias or political groups, including from the ranks of persons loyal to General Dostom.
43. After the meeting, General Dostom accompanied the Special Rapporteur and his team to a number of burial sites in the vicinity of Shebergan. The same evening, he accompanied the Special Rapporteur to a more distant site, also in the vicinity of Shebergan, where people are alleged to have been thrown into nine water wells. The forensic expert subsequently excavated 10 skeletonizing bodies from an area representing one ninth of a bone-strewn mound of earth at a village dump located some 3 km west of Shebergan which is part of the first site visited by the Special Rapporteur. According to the forensic expert, these individuals were all young males dressed in summer clothing. Many had serious, probably fatal, gunshot wounds to various parts of the body. Two individuals showed evidence of having received medical treatment. Several had unspent rounds of ammunition still in their clothing. The forensic expert has concluded that these individuals were battle casualties. There was no evidence that they were prisoners deliberately executed. Hence, the only area examined in detail by the forensic expert did not support the account given to the Special Rapporteur by General Dostom.
44. According to the forensic expert, the picture emerging from the nine wells site is different. Allegedly, several hundred prisoners were forced down the wells. These wells have not yet been excavated. However, all nine wells show a bulldozed track up to the well mouth. Seven of the wells are plugged with earth. Two are open with water visible at a depth of about 10 metres. At all nine wells there are spent cartridges. At three wells there is evidence of the presence of anti-personnel mines as well as one grenade. The forensic expert found two pieces of human skull lying near the earth plugging one of the wells.
45. On 11 December, General Dostom accompanied the Special Rapporteur and his team to a stretch of highway between the cities of Mazar-i-Sharif and Hairatan, also in northern Afghanistan, where numerous bodies at several sites could be observed. At one particular locale, there was clear evidence that victims had been tied up individually or several at a time. There were many spent cartridges and the bodies were lying largely covered with sand in a row on either side of a ridge. The identity of the individuals is not known with certainty.
46. The forensic expert has concluded that of the three areas in northern Afghanistan visited by him, two areas contain evidence that may support allegations of human rights abuses. He feels that a neutral team of independent investigators should re-examine the areas as soon as logistically possible with a view to collecting further evidence to determine if indeed the alleged atrocities occurred and the numbers of victims involved.
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