Law Enforcement Institutions Need to Observe Rule of Law
Law Enforcement Institutions Need to Observe Rule of Law
Attorney General (AG) Hamidi discussed the issue of law enforcement abiding by the rule of law during the National Police and Human Rights Conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul on February 12, 2017. Saranpoh Mohammad Farid Hamidi, Interior Minister Taj Mohammad Mujahid, Dr. Sima Samar, Chairperson of Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, Nabila Muslih, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and Police Commanders from Afghanistan provinces and districts attended the event. The Independent Human Rights Commission sponsored the forum.
AG Hamidi said, “Under the shadow of law, people can live with dignity. Police play the top role in ensuring justice and detecting criminals. Police are the strength and power of law.”
Mr. Hamidi believes that citizens are always concerned about lawlessness. This culture requires changing in Afghanistan. Police and prosecutors, as law enforcement officers, should first respect the law. Emphasizing on coordination between detective institutions and AGO, he said, “We work on a systematic mechanism for coordination and based on this mechanism, we will share information. The cases detected by police and submitted to justice and judicial institutions will be shared with detective institutions, especially with police.”
The Attorney General also pointed to the lack of justice and judicial systems in a number of districts and considered insecurity the reason for this deficiency; and called on the security institutions to provide security for justice and judicial institutions. Considering the role of police in villages, he said that, “by delivering justice to villages, we can turn public attention to the government. Security and justice are the two important things that should be provided to the people of Afghanistan.”
Torture by the security, justice, and judicial institutions was the main issue mentioned by the Attorney General. He said the Afghan government combats torture in a systematic way. “Attorney General’s Office is sensitive and serious against torturing. Those charged with torture will face legal actions,” he added.
Mr. Hamidi noted that activities of justice and judicial institutions correlate with performance of police. The police take the first step following a decision by the court. He continued by saying that, “The detective phase should be carried out professionally, strictly, and precisely since the investigation phase will be based on the detection.”
Supporting public privacy was another point mentioned by the Attorney General. He said that protecting personal privacy and dwelling areas of the people is necessary in Afghanistan. “We are sensitive about searching houses at night, except the times according to the law. Otherwise, no one has the right to search homes at night,” he added.
The National Police and Human Rights Conference included the Minister of Interior Affairs, Taj Mohammad Mujahid, who also considered law enforcement as a responsibility of police. He said, “We are assisting justice and judicial institutions with implementation of laws and provision of justice. People expect security from police. I hope that those police officers, who have attended this program, could put in practice lessons learned to attract support of the people.”
The Minister of Interior Affairs emphasized supporting women exists in the scope of the Ministry. There are programs designed to enhance the level of knowledge of women police and provide them with work opportunities.