Is there any point in seeking justice in the country? Has the justice system been able to alleviate people’s sufferings?
Farahnaz Yusufi, a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif blames the political leadership and officials charged with the implementation of the law. “When the Constitution is violated and no one is respecting it (the law), how can justice be delivered?”
But she is hopeful that one day the authorities will respond because “our people are raising their voices”.
The Afghan government had promised commitment to human rights and liberty after the fall of the Taleban regime.
Sahah Husain Murtazawi, the acting chief spokesperson in the president’s office, says laws guarantee the citizen’s rights. “When we have stated our views it means we will protect the rights of civilians, and the government has taken seriously many of the issues raised,” he says.
Last, hundreds of women and men marched on the streets in many parts of the country for justice in the case of Farkhunda, a 27-year-old who was lynched by a mob in Kabul.
Sadeq Aliyar recalls this event and other demonstrations over the past few years and says, “Big protests and campaigns for appeals for justice have taken place for also to prevent tyranny and corruption but the voices have not been heard; the backlash has been significant.”
Even as civil society activists and the public seek positive results to their calls for justice, there is disappointment but observers caution that justice is not immediate, and takes time.
Aziz Rafiaee, head of Afghanistan Civil Society Union, believes that the appeals for justice are continuous in the case of social issues. “The demands and appeals for justice to improve or change a social situation should be sustained for it to bring change, and results to be tangible,” he says. “Our people have got to be politically awake,” he adds.
Ahad Farzam, head of the regional office of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Organisation (AIHRC) in Kabul, thinks some campaigns for justice fail because organisations behind the effort have moved on to a new issue. The AIHRC is dogged in its pursuit of rights concerns.
A political culture of exemption makes it even harder for seekers of justice.
