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Afghan war crimes suspect says he is a victim of mistaken identity
A 76-year-old Afghan man accused of being the commander of the Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul in the 1980s, where he allegedly abused political opponents, on Wednesday told The Hague court it was a case of mistaken identity.
“I am not the person that you are talking about,” the suspect, who said he did not remember his own name but was identified in court as Abdul Rafief, told judges.
According to the charges summarized by the judges, Rafief is accused of living in the Netherlands under a false name and that he is actually Abdul Razaq Arif who served as commander of the Pul-e-Charki prison between 1983 and 1990, Reuters reported.
Afghanistan’s Soviet-backed government was fighting a guerrilla war against mujahideen at the time, following the Soviet invasion in 1979.
Prosecutors say Rafief was responsible for political prisoners in the jail, who were allegedly held in inhumane conditions in the facility. Guards under his command allegedly beat, tortured and executed prisoners, Reuters reported.
During the hearing Rafief referred all questions from the judges about his identity to his lawyers and said he was ill, dizzy and could not remember anything.
Rafief came to the Netherlands seeking asylum in 2001 and has become a Dutch national. He is being tried under “universal jurisdiction” principles, which say suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity can be prosecuted abroad if they cannot be tried in the country where they were allegedly committed.
The Netherlands has already successfully tried three high ranking officials of the Afghan military intelligence service for similar crimes in the same period in Afghanistan.
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UNDP, UN Women launch financing initiative for Afghan women entrepreneurs
UN Women Special Representative Susan Ferguson said expanding women’s access to finance was critical to enabling women-led businesses to grow.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Women have launched a joint initiative to expand access to finance and business support for Afghan women entrepreneurs.
The Afghanistan Women’s Fund for Resilient Enterprises (AWFRE) will provide Sharia-compliant, collateral-free financing alongside financial and digital literacy training, mentoring, business planning and support to access markets.
An initial joint investment of $1.7 million will support about 1,500 women entrepreneurs over the next year, indirectly benefiting more than 14,000 people through stronger businesses, household incomes and economic activity.
The initiative comes amid a significant financing gap for Afghan women entrepreneurs. Fewer than 7% of women in Afghanistan have a bank account or use mobile money services, leaving many women-led businesses dependent on personal savings, loans from family and friends, or the sale of personal assets.
More Afghan women are turning to entrepreneurship to earn income and support their families. More than 10,000 Afghan women now hold business licences, around ten times the number five years ago, while the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce estimates another 120,000 are trading without licences.
“The challenge for Afghan women entrepreneurs is not a lack of enterprise, but limited access to the finance, skills and networks they need to grow,” said Turhan Saleh, UNDP Resident Representative in Afghanistan.
UN Women Special Representative Susan Ferguson said expanding women’s access to finance was critical to enabling women-led businesses to grow.
“Afghan women are finding ways to build businesses, despite the many obstacles they face,” Ferguson said. “Expanding access to finance can help women entrepreneurs turn their ideas and skills into stronger businesses, more jobs and greater economic security for their families and communities.”
UNDP and UN Women are seeking an additional $10 million to expand the programme, which would allow another 10,000 women entrepreneurs to access financing and business support and indirectly benefit an estimated 70,000 people.
The initiative aims to help women entrepreneurs expand their businesses, access new markets and develop more sustainable sources of income.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
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