Dostum to Not Appear in Court

The spokesman for the National Islamic Movement (Junbish-e Milli), stated that General Dostum, First Vice President of Afghanistan, will not appear in court during the Ahmad Ishchi case.

Bashir Ahmad Tayenj, spokesman of the National Islamic Movement said, “There are specified circles inside the system that are trying to weakening [the] Vice President’s position and the coalition for the salvation of Afghanistan. We are not obliged to attend the Attorney General and the court because it is a political case.”

The European Union in a press release called for the “timely conclusion,” of investigations and “…a fair trial which observes due process of law. There must be no impunity.”

However, Ahmad Ishchi says the appearance of Dostom is not important and the court can continue its proceedings in his absence.

Dostum has previously rejected Ishchi’s allegations of assault and abduction, but his office had said he would cooperate with any investigation.

The Attorney General’s Office said on December 17, 2016 that it had opened an investigation into Ishchi’s claim that Dostum assaulted him in Dostum’s native Jowzjan Province on November 25, 2016 during a game of “Buzkashi,” an Afghan version of equestrian polo.

Ishchi said Dostum’s bodyguards subsequently beat him further before taking him to one of Dostum’s properties, where he was reportedly held against his will for several days.

Dostum, one of the country’s most notorious former militia commanders, has come under a storm of criticism from lawmakers and rights activists over the alleged incident.