Kamran Mir Hazar
Letter to Editor
National Crimes Squad Arrests
Afghan suspect of War Crimes
Friday, the 31st of March, the Dutch National Crimes Squad
arrested the former vice-director of the Afghan Military
Intelligence (Khad-e-Nezami) in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Abdullah F. (age 56) applied for asylum in the Netherlands in
1994. The Immigration and Naturalisation Services (INS) denied
him an asylum status, because he was suspected of having been
involved in war crimes and human rights violations. In the year
2000 the INS-file was handed over to the Public Prosecutors.
Last Friday Abdullah F. and his spouse intended to cross the
border illegally to Germany. Abdullah F. held no passport and
could not legally leave the Netherlands. Immediately after the
arrest the house of Abdullah F. was searched in Rotterdam.
During this search documents, photo and video material was
seized, the material will be investigated by the National Crimes
Squad for evidence.
The investigation by the National Crimes Squad has led to
indications that justify a suspicion of war crimes and torture.
A number of witnesses in Afghanistan has recently made burdening
testimonies to investigators of the National Crime Squad
relating to Abdullah F.
During the eighties Abdullah F. was the vice-director of Afghan
military intelligence services. According to a statement of
Abdullah F him self, he was responsible for activities that
opposed the former communist regime in Afghanistan.
Monday, the 10th of April, Abdullah F. was ordered to
remain in pre-trial detention.
The National Crimes Squad has previously investigated the former
head of the Afghan military intelligence and the head of the
interrogation department within the military intelligence in
Kabul. Last year both men have been convicted by the Court of
Justice in The Hague to penalties of imprisonment of 12 and 9
years.
The investigation of international crimes as war crimes,
genocide, and torture is conducted
under the authority of the National Office of the Public
Prosecution Service by a unit of the National Crimes squad of
the National Police Agency.
With the investigation and prosecution of international crimes
the Dutch government wishes to point out, nationally and
internationally, that the Netherlands is not a country of
refuge for war criminals. It is of the greatest necessity that
the international community is prepared to investigate and
prosecute crimes as genocide, war crimes and torture, so war
criminals can not find a safe haven in the Netherlands nor
elsewhere.
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Note:
For victims and
other persons that can and are willing to provide information on
this matter, i.c. the Afghan Military Intelligence (khad-e-Nezami)
or Abdullah F. please feel free to contact the Dutch National
Crimes Squad at internationalcrimesunit@klpd.politie.nl
