OCTOBER 7 EXECUTIONS; ALLIES DISMAYED, POPULACE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KABUL 003458 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA.FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A, STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG NSC FOR JWOOD OSD FOR KIMMETT E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM AF SUBJECT: OCTOBER 7 EXECUTIONS; ALLIES DISMAYED, POPULACE APPROVES Classified By: Classified by A/DCM Carol Rodley for Reasons 1.4 (a) and (b). ¶1. (SBU) The Afghan government executed 15 convicted criminals on the grounds of the Ministry of Justice-run Pol-I-Charki prison outside Kabul October 7. All had received their death sentences for a variety of serious non-political crimes, including murder; all were multiple offenders. None of those executed had been transferred from Coalition custody. The executions were carried out, reportedly, with regrettable ineptness, by Afghan National Police. A sixteenth condemned prisoner, who was convicted of the abduction of an Italian human rights worker, managed to escape the confused circumstances of the actual execution site and is still at large. The 15 may be the first tranche of 60 prisoners slated for execution over the next several days. President Karzai told the Ambassador he had personally approved the execution warrant. Under the current constitution, the only previous execution was of Abdullah Shah, a former military commander convicted of murder. Shah was executed April 19, 2004. ¶2. (C) The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission publicly criticized the executions. Commissioner Mohammad Farid told POLOFF that the prisonersQ, cases had not been properly reviewed by the courts and that the warrant violated proper sentencing procedure. EU Coalition partners told the Ambassador October 9 that they will deliver a joint demarche to the MFA condemning the executions. During an October 9 MFA briefing to the diplomatic corps, Coalition partner chiefs of mission engaged FM Spanta repeatedly on the executions. In his unenthusiastic defense of the sentences, Spanta betrayed the political calculation behind the executions. He noted that Afghan citizens have been complaining loudly to Karzai about their growing sense of insecurity and, particularly, their personal vulnerability to crime. Karzai, Spanta said, wants to restore citizen confidence by demonstrating his unyielding toughness with serious offenders. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: The word on KabulQ,s streets, as reported in the press and confirmed by our FSNs, suggests KarzaiQ,s calculation may be spot on. Far from recoiling from the harshness and suddenness of the sentences, average Afghans, mindful of Sharia endorsement of capital punishment, are applauding the executions and would welcome more. Karzai may be emboldened by popular approval, and by an opportunity to demonstrate his disregard for Western criticism, to sign more warrants. WOOD