§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information has been given to the United Nations over the killing of prisoners near Kunduz during the war in Afghanistan. [83178]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienWe cannot answer on behalf of the UN. However, it is in the public domain that an investigation by Physicians for Human Rights in January 2002 reported claims from captured Taliban that 1,000 men had suffocated on their journey to Shiberghan prison in late November 2001. Their bodies were allegedly buried in mass graves at Dasht-e-Leili.
A preliminary UN investigation into the alleged grave sites recommended in May 2002 that a full investigation be carried out, when the conditions for witness protection allowed. In order to protect witnesses the UN cannot release any detailed information at this stage.
We are concerned about the alleged human rights abuses at Shiberghan. The British embassy in Kabul has raised our concerns with the Afghan Transitional Administration, the UN, the US authorities and the Afghan Human Rights Commission (AHRC). The embassy also recently raised the issue with Afghan Interior Minister Wardak. He agreed the matter was serious and undertook to co-operate in a UNAMA/AHRC investigation. We also welcomed 192W the Transitional Administration's announcement on 21 August that they would fully co-operate with human rights organisations in the investigation of these alleged mass graves.