Afghanistan Peace CampaignZakharova emphasized that Russia supports efforts to prosecute those responsible for war crimes committed by Western military forces in Afghanistan.
The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized the delays in the process of investigating war crimes committed by foreign forces in Afghanistan.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that Western countries, including the UK, have effectively obstructed investigations into war crimes committed by their military forces in Afghanistan.
She added: “Despite public pressure, Western countries have practically delayed the judicial process for crimes committed during the occupation of Afghanistan, let alone compensating the victims’ families. In the case of the UK, a lot of information has recently been released about these horrific events, but there has been no progress in the investigation process.”
Zakharova emphasized that Russia supports efforts to prosecute those responsible for war crimes committed by Western military forces in Afghanistan.
She added: “We welcome the growing efforts of human rights defenders who seek fair punishment for crimes committed by Western troops during the occupation of Afghanistan. These are the same countries that created institutions like the International Criminal Court; but the reality is that a discriminatory logic prevails in these cases — some people are deemed worthy of human rights, while others are not even made aware of such rights.”
Russia’s criticism of the Western approach to investigating war crimes by foreign forces in Afghanistan comes as David McBride, an Australian army whistleblower who revealed information about war crimes by his country’s forces in Afghanistan, failed on Wednesday in his attempt to reduce his five-year prison sentence.
Kieran Pender, an official from a human rights organization in Australia, stated: “Australia’s whistleblowing laws aren’t working. We urgently need comprehensive whistleblower protection reform so we don’t have more Dave Mcbrides and Richard Boyles.”
The UK, Australia, and the Netherlands are among the countries that have acknowledged war crimes by their forces in Afghanistan and have conducted investigations, but these investigations have yet to yield tangible results.