Afghanistan

APF Membership

Full Member

Admitted

Full Membership (10th Annual Meeting, August 2005); Associate Membership (8th Annual Meeting, February 2004)

Establishment

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission was established under the Bonn Agreement and commenced operations following a Decree of the President of the Interim Administration of Afghanistan on 6 June 2002.

On 7 January 2004 the Commission became constitutionally entrenched following the adoption of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan by the Loya Jirgah (the Afghan Grand Assembly).

The Commission’s establishing legislation – the Law on the Structure, Duties and Mandate of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission – was adopted by the Afghanistan Cabinet and enacted by the President of Afghanistan on 2 May 2005.

Role and Functions

The Commission has a broad mandate that includes:

• monitoring the situation of human rights in the country
• promoting and protecting human rights
• monitoring the situation of and people’s access to their fundamental rights and freedoms
• investigating and verifying cases of human rights violations
• taking measures for the improvement and promotion of the human rights situation in the country.

Judicial and prosecutorial bodies, ministries, governmental agencies, civil society groups, non-Governmental organisations and all citizens are obliged to cooperate with the Commission.

Commission Members

Dr Sima Samar
Chairperson

Ahmad Fahim Hakim
Member

Ahmad Nader Nadery
Member

Mohammad Farid Hamidi
Member

Dr Soraya Sobhrang
Member

Ahmad Zia langari
Member

Abdul Karim Azizi
Member

Moulawee Ghulam Mohamad Ghareb
Member