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Emboldened by an almost total lack of international censure over his violent police raid on Afghanistan’s leading independent TV station, Hamid Karzai’s Attorney General, Abdul Jabar Sabet, continues to incite mob rule in his attempt to force the broadcaster off the air.
Fifty pro-Sabet marchers descended on Tolo TV’s Kabul studios last Thursday, two days after police entered the premises without warrants, arresting and beating seven journalists. By Saturday, Sabet’s organizers managed to raise a crowd of 200 people, but almost all were government employees and several admitted afterward that they had been promised cash to take part.
Not so members of Afghanistan’s disabled Olympics team, who told reporters they had come to block the marchers, and to defend a popular and trusted source of independent news.
Attorney General Sabet, however, is evidently not a man to let public sentiment – or common sense – get in his way.
Calling in a favour from individuals on the payroll further to the east, Sabet arranged a third march in the city of Jalalabad, capped off by a ritual burning of the Logo TV logo. Jalalabad has been the scene of many large and volatile anti-American protests. Still, not one U.S. official in Washington or Afghanistan has urged that calmer heads prevail in the week-long media crackdown.
British and Canadian authorities likewise have chosen not to speak, revealing the gulf that has developed between NATO political bosses and the United Nations. The U.N. mission to Afghanistan issued a statement immediately after last Tuesday’s raid, demanding that the Western-sponsored Karzai government ensure that “unlawful actions against media outlets is prevented in the future.”
By deploying police, shock-troop style, rather than proceeding through Afghanistan’s Media Monitoring Commission, Sabet breached the country’s new constitution.
Meantime in Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office continues to enforce it’s own media-management fatwa, forbidding any official from the PMO, Foreign Affairs and most particularly the Canadian Embassy in Kabul from responding to skyreporter’s repeated requests for comment. Similarly, Citizenship and Immigration Canada have refused to comment on Sabet’s status. The man behind the media crackdown - and the ongoing scandal in heroin policing at Kabul Airport - is a long time resident of Montreal.
Which may have something to do with investigations now underway into the Attorney General’s newfound fortune. Sources in Montreal’s Afghan community confirm that Sabet collected welfare from Canadian taxpayers during his five year residency. Yet only a few years later, the Attorney General is able to summon up crowds of “volunteer demonstrators” at short notice.
However, it is another aspect of his personal wealth that interests members of Afghanistan’s upper house of parliament, the Meshrano Jirga, or Senate. They want to know about Sabet’s new property overlooking the toney Kabul neighborhood known by local wags as Wazirpoor – loosely translated, “Bigshot-ville.” City of Kabul machinery and staff have been seen working on the site.
This prime piece of real estate, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, reportedly came into Sabet’s possession not long after his removal of General Amerkhel as Kabul Airport’s police chief - a move that senior lawmen and legislators say led to a resumption of large-scale heroin smuggling through the airport.
Significantly, Sabet has refused the Senate’s invitation to drop by and answer a few questions about the luxury home he plans to erect above Bigshot-ville. His reluctance to discuss his mysterious new possession, juxtaposed with his relentless, hot-headed campaign against the country’s most popular TV station, has prompted many in Kabul to wonder who, exactly, is Sabet’s angel, his protector – or patron.
Is Hamid Karzai spurring him on, or simply at a loss to control him? Or could Sabet’s zeal be the result of communications with one of those tight-lipped foreign benefactors of the Kabul government, a government which day by day takes on more of the unattractive features of Afghan regimes of the past.
All of this begs a deeper look into Abdul Jabar Sabet, the man, the dealer in loyalties, and the would-be Sheikh of Wazirpoor.
Next on skyreporter.com.
21 Comments
Sabet brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "rule of law". Hopefully when he finishes that fine new house, he will immediately move his family out of Montreal and into Kabul, the new Waziropolis. It's odd that a man entrusted with the "rule of law" and justice in his country won't allow his own family to live there because he can't trust his own country to protect them, due to policies he initiated. Makes me think that his intentions are to bleed Afghanistan dry and then flee back to Canada, and we'll let him walk right in.
We're such nice folks.
My emails to my Congressional and State representatives are ready to be sent. I honestly feel, now that the Democrats have marginal power on Capitol Hill, that they are the best choice for contact for US Citizens. They are sitting in my draft folder awaiting my review.
I recently left the Baha'i Faith, after 30 years, because their administrative body is openly censoring and excommunicating Baha'i scholars. As I told them, I will not tolerate censorship of any kind. I will fight it with every fibre of my being. No one has the right to interfere with my independant investigation of the truth. I feel the same way about any censorship or manipulation of the news.
I wish that I were 20 years younger with more energy. I can only fight with my words now, as inept as they sometimes are.
One thing that pains me deeply is the viewpoint that I hear about citizens of my country. I've heard too often that Americans don't care, even from you Arthur. It's the assumption that all of us feel the same way and live in the lap of luxury. That isn't true. This is a huge country with varing viewpoints and many internal problems. We are a divided country right now. We are good people and most of us care deeply about what is happening.
I often wonder what would have happened in Afghanistan if bush hadn't started the war in Iraq. If we had concentrated our efforts where they should have been, righting the wrong that occurred when we pulled out of Afghanistan and left those poor people alone, what would have happened? Would the situation have been better? I've been following what has been going on in Afghanistan since it began and I'm heartbroken by what I see.
Dear Arthur
I,m from afghanistan.thanks for whatever you have done for us.broedcasting the real news from afghanistan.tell to the world please help real afghan poeple
Dear Arthur,
I have following the debate here. Jabar Sabet's anger over the TV station continues. Last night, in RTA (State Run TV Afghanistan), the anchor proudly annouced that the commission to monitor the media violation had found the TV station guilty of the case and the station had to apologize. Do you think this is fair? This is rights matter, the commission only has the authority to question the media violation, who is there to question the Attorny General's violation of the law? Or is he above the law? President Karzai, whose slogan was democracy and freedom of the press during the elections, is very shamefully silent over the case. I am really proud of myself having not voted for Krzai. Otherwise, today I would have felt ashamed myself having voted for a man who don't deserved my trust.
Tolo has complained to the high court, lets see what the court decides. But if Sabet is that powerful to not attend the official session of the Senate, I don't think that the court will be able to decide against him even if he is found guilty. Here, there is now rule of law, here it is rule of relations.
Qais, isn't it indicative that Tolo TV, the party violated by the Attorney General's police raiders, is observing the law, and will no doubt respond to the Media Commission in a way the station managers feel is appropriate. Sabet, meantime, relies on mob rule. And yes, the President's silence is shocking to all of us in the west - regardless of what our own media-managing politicians might tell you.
Yaqoob, it's always been my great pleasure to travel your land and report your peoples' desire for peace. And Bonny Jean, I'm always careful, like most of my Afghan friends, to draw a distinction between the American public and the administration. Any practical-minded American, given a chance to see close-up the counterproductivity of administration policy in Afghanistan, would do anything other than call in a new coach. And then raise a cup of tea to the Afghan peoples' great endurance.
I am not a Canadian, but I have great respect for Canadians (and Afghanis). In the Globe and Mail today there was a report that "says Afghans abused prisoners captured by Canada". This is old news for people who watch this kind of thing, but I'm sure that Canadians have a great deal of human feeling- judging from those I've met. Canadians can do something about this kind of torture- hold your government accountable, and make any support for the Afghanistan campaign conditional on an absolute prohibition of torture by either Canadian troops or those other Afghani jailers who the Canadian troops hand over many detainees to.
I am wondering why the prosecutors in Afghanistan are not talking about Sabits violations to the law, he has dismissed 4 of its deputies who were with 20 to 30 years of experience in attorney general office, this some how paved the way for his personal decisions with out considering the law, I think Mr Sabit is with a mention to finish the attorney general office and take down its reputation and I think the professional prosecutors can play a role to highlight this violation of law.
Dear readers
Afghanistan is the new name for this Land it used to called Aryana and khorasn, but in 1747 the pushtoon tribe enterd by force with help of forginers. since that pashtoon tribe used to kill, rubb,and abuse other ethinicity in afghistan by help of english roler in the area and they never believe to democracy and freedom of press therefore they always try thier best to create secterism and fashism, and sabit is one of them and he was the best person of gulbadin hikmatyar and destroyed kabul by raket and i don't know how karzi choice him as a attorney general office. because he is pshtoon
I just read about the Rural development minister telling aid agencies to fall in line or get out.
Sounds like things are getting very shakey in the house of Karzai
Doug, many Kabulis say it's not too late for Hamid Karzai - provided his international backers persuade him to shift his focus, and soon. They say that sideshows like the Sabet drama are sapping what remains of the promise of the post-Taliban government. If the Karzai team can't deliver services and freedom from fear, a growing chorus of Afghan voices are advising him - and us - to step aside.
Arthur, It seems too often that when free media is shut down there are always controlled media personalities willing to step in and chant the government line. Is there leverage within the profession to apply some consequences (in the long run) for such media personalities. Perhaps some peer pressure could help if the consequences of participating in the blatant propaganda was career limiting. Are there such strong bodies in this business?
Helping the heroin dealers. We are nice folks.
Arthur,as you know the big deal going on in government here today is the abuse issue of Afghan prisoners and the Canadian Military involvment.
And all Harper is saying is he'll work with the Afghan government to get to the bottom of this.
The western governments don't want to hear the truth.Why would anyone believe they would care about the assault on the staff at ToLo Tv.
Arthur,I have sent email's to reporters in Canada telling about this.Many know of your report and the situation you described.What they will do about it is up to them.
As for Bush caring about anyone at ToLo TV.I have but one word "Katrina".
I will do as much as possible to bring this issue to Canadians via anyone who has the power to print.But as we know,the Canadian media are well aware of your work and by now Skyreporter.com
Keep reporting.
Ted