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A First Look Back at the Horror
Despite the wealth of accusations against him, the chances of a conviction are in question, largely because so little evidence has been presented.
One trial witness said his uncle told him Sarwari had beaten 60 people to death with his bare hands. But that uncle is dead. Another witness named Abdul Samad, 33, began yelling at Sarwari, accusing him of killing his father and three uncles. When the judge asked whether he had any evidence, Samad replied, "No, I was too young."
  Mary Aman, 38, holds a photo of her brother, Yahya. He was 17 in 1979 when he was seized in the night by communist officials and was never heard from again. (By Griff Witte -- The Washington Post) |
Sarwari, given a chance to defend himself, said others in the government had committed the crimes. But he said his most recent attorney had quit, so the judge granted him more time to prepare his case. The trial was scheduled to resume Saturday.
In many respects, Sarwari's case is easier than those that could follow. He is in jail, and the communists have long since been discredited. But the mujaheddin leaders, who defeated the communist forces and then turned their guns on one another, are still in power -- revered by followers and despised by their victims.
The mujaheddin's capture of Kabul in 1992 ushered in some of the worst years of war, as rival factions rocketed the capital, fighting block to block for control. In southwest Kabul, it is nearly impossible to find anyone who did not lose a home, a limb or a relative.
Mohammed Raza was 7 when his father was struck dead by a rocket as he walked home from his job selling kebabs. Now 18, Raza has been weaving carpets for 11 years to support his family. He thinks he knows who killed his father: Abdurrab Rasul Sayyaf, a militia commander who controlled a nearby hill.
But Sayyaf, a white-bearded Islamic scholar, was elected to the parliament in September. Later, he also came within a few votes of its leadership, losing to a former fellow commander.
"Maybe Sayyaf will be brought to justice," Raza said, "but I don't know how."
