An elderly Afghan man is standing trial charged with war crimes allegedly carried out while he was in charge of a notorious jail where inmates were abused in the 1980s.
Abdul Rafief, 76, said it was a case of mistaken identity and he was not the commander at Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul.
He told a Dutch court in The Hague on Wednesday that he denied the allegations that as prison commander he abused political opponents.
“I am not the person that you are talking about,” he said.
Appearing in court in a wheelchair, the father of four said he could not remember his own name.
Dutch prosecutors urged judges Thursday to impose a 12-year prison sentence over his involvement in war crimes at Pul-e-Charkhi in the1980s.
Mr Rafief is accused of living in the Netherlands under a false name and being commander between 1983 and 1990 of the prison where regime opponents were held without fair trial in “appalling conditions".
Dutch war crimes prosecutors are convinced they have the right man after interviewing about 25 witnesses around the world and tapping the phones of the suspect and his family before arresting him at his home in the southern Dutch city of Kerkrade in 2019.
Prosecutors told judges that the suspect was commander and Head of Political Affairs from 1983-1990 at the notorious Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul, where political prisoners were detained in cramped, filthy cells and routinely tortured.
Afghanistan's Soviet-backed government was fighting a guerrilla war against mujahideen rebels at the time, following the Soviet invasion in 1979.
The trial is the latest in a series of efforts in European countries to bring people to account for crimes in conflict-torn countries, including Syria and Afghanistan.
“This trial is about a man, whom we believe committed a number of war crimes in Kabul,” prosecutor Mirjam Blom said.
“We suspect that he, as commander and chief of political affairs, was working in the prison where inmates were arbitrarily robbed of their personal freedom and treated them inhumanely.”
Prosecutors said police started investigating in 2012 after blogs said that the former commander of Pul-e-Charkhi could be living in the Netherlands.
“Finally we picked up his trail. The public prosecution service has the point of view that he is here (in the Netherlands) under a false name,” said Ms Blom.
Dutch authorities spoke to 25 witnesses in several countries and used “countless” open-source materials. “We are convinced that we have the right person,” Ms Blom said.
Notorious for its grim conditions, Pul-e-Charkhi remained in use under various regimes until the Taliban freed prisoners from it last August.
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Brief scores:
Kashima Antlers 0
River Plate 4
Zuculini 24', Martinez 73', 90 2', Borre 89' (pen)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PRO%20MAX
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
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THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Illegal%20shipments%20intercepted%20in%20Gulf%20region
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
%E2%80%98FSO%20Safer%E2%80%99%20-%20a%20ticking%20bomb
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Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe
The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
