Became A Suspect In Afghanistan War Crimes And Tried In The Netherlands, This 76-year-old Grandfather Claims The Victim's Identity Is Wrong

Ilustrasi. (Wikimedia Commons/SSGT Cecilio Ricardo/USAF)

JAKARTA - A 76-year-old Afghan man accused of being the commander of the Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul in the 1980s, where he was suspected of harassing political opponents, on Wednesday told the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands that this was the case. identity error.

"I'm not the one you're talking about," the suspect said, saying he didn't even remember his own name, but was identified in court as Abdul Ratief to the judge.

According to the indictment summarized by the judge, Rafief was accused of living in the Netherlands under a false name, that he was actually Abdul Razaq Arif who served as commander of the Pul-e-Charki prison between 1983 and 1990.

It is known, the Soviet-backed Afghan government was fighting a guerrilla war against mujahideen rebels at the time, after the 1979 invasion of the Red Bear Country.

Prosecutors said Rafief was in charge of political prisoners at the prison, who were allegedly being held in inhumane conditions at the facility. Guards under his command allegedly beat, tortured and executed detainees.

During the trial, Rafief turned over all questions from the judge about his identity to his lawyer and said that he was sick, dizzy and couldn't remember anything.

Rafief came to the Netherlands seeking asylum in 2001 and has become a Dutch citizen. He was tried under the principles of "universal jurisdiction", which say suspects in war crimes and crimes against humanity can be prosecuted abroad if they cannot be tried in the country where they are suspected of committing.

To note, the Netherlands has successfully tried three high-ranking officials of the Afghan military intelligence service, for similar crimes during the same period in Afghanistan.