Human Rights Activists Want BSA Signed

KABUL: (MEP) – At a ceremony in Kabul for the 65th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, human rights activists argued signing the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with Washington would ensure past human rights gains are not lost and future ones are possible in the years ahead.

At the moment, the BSA remains stalled as negotiations between President Hamid Karzai and the U.S. hit a rough patch in recent weeks. Despite a Loya Jirga approving the agreement and calling for it to be signed before the end of the year, Karzai has said he will not finalize the pact until after the April elections, and then, only if the U.S. meets certain preconditions of his.

The U.S. has said no foreign troops would remain in Afghanistan after the NATO combat mission ends in 2014 if the BSA is not signed. Some 4.1 billion USD in military aid to the Afghan forces would also be withdrawn.

Human rights and women’s activists now join a chorus of officials and experts that have been advocating for a speedy signing of the BSA, criticizing Karzai for stalling.

Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) representatives on Tuesday claimed that protecting the previous decade’s achievements and securing future stability of the country came down to signing the BSA.

Sima Samar, the Chair of the AIHRC, called for powerful human rights violators to be held accountable for their crimes. He said the government was too weak to do so now, and needs the BSA to ensure it is stable and powerful enough to do so in the future.

“Unfortunately, the government institutions aren’t in a position to deal with war crimes and violators of human rights effectively and there is no political determination in the government institutions,” Samara said. “We need the BSA signed in consideration of this current scenario, because the security agreement guarantees future stability.”

Women’s rights activists also encouraged Karzai to sign the agreement as soon as possible.

“We want the president to respect the Jirga decision and sign the Bilateral Security Agreement,” activist Gul Makai Siawash said. “Signing the agreement could protect the achievements of the previous decade and women’s rights.”

The U.S. has said it would keep a force of roughly 10,000 troops in Afghanistan if the BSA is finalized, providing training, advising and assisting services to the Afghan forces in the coming years.

U.S. officials have said Karzai must sign the accord before the end of the year, or the entire agreement could be in jeopardy.