KABUL - As many as 81 attorneys have been killed during the past 14 years in Afghanistan and no one in connection with their murders could be detained, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) said on Saturday.
AGO spokesman Basir Azizi told Pajhwok Afghan News during an interview that elements who were afraid of the rule of law targeted judicial officials.
“Attorneys are threatened more than other officials. We lost attorneys after being threatened in provinces. They are not spared even in Kabul,” he said.
He said the main challenge attorneys faced was insecurity and the Ministry of Interior should take measures in this regard.
“We understand that insecurities exist all over the country, but effective security measures to protect attorneys have not been taken. We demand security and intelligence organs, especially police and the interior ministry take strong measures for protection of the prosecutors,” he said.
Attorneys in 15 districts, most of them in southern provinces, could not perform their duty due to bad security situation which had created problems for local residents who used to travel to provincial capitals and even Kabul to resolve legal issues, Azizi said.  He said his department had 5200 staff and they included 2500 attorneys.
But Interior Ministry’s deputy spokesman Najib Danish said terrorists not only targeted attorneys but all people. “Attorneys have a strong will to fight against terrorism and bring to justice terrorists and that’s why the enemy targets them.”
He said juke the security unit for judges, such a unit was being created for attorneys and the topic had been discussed with the National Security Council and work on it was underway.
Pajhwok tried to seek information about the number of judges killed during the past 14 years, but no one in the Supreme Court was willing to share information in this regard.(Pajhwok)