Afghan justice system a major worry

A paper written jointly by the Afghan government and the UN claims that only 15 of 380 buildings dedicated as courthouses have the facilities to hold legal hearings. Yesterday in Kabul, a 3-day conference on the Afghan justice system was convened, and the paper "Justice for All" was released, detailing the poor state of the Afghan justice system.

The paper maintains that provincial facilities, including prisons, are at best ineffective, and often non-existent. There is a shortage of trained personnel and prisons. In at least 20 provinces there are no proper prison facilities.

In the absence of any formal system, tribal or "traditional" courts have filled the void, says the paper.

The US claims it will remand the Afghan prisoners in Guantanamo (and Bagram) to the state of Afghanistan when the system is ready for them. One wonders, reading this report, when that may be...