Rights group urges Afghanistan to repeal war crimes amnesty law

03/11/10: JURIST reports that Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Afghan government should retract a law granting amnesty for war crimes and human rights abuses committed prior to December 2001. The National Stability and Reconciliation Law was originally passed by the Afghan Parliament in 2007, but did not take effect until it was recently published in the official gazette. HRW claims that the law protects alleged war criminals and human rights abusers, many of whom remain in positions of power within the government.