The protesters were waving banners bearing the slogans "Put Hekmatyar on Trial!", "Kabul Does Not Accept the Butcher!" and "Burying Justice Won’t Lead to Peace!"
The protest rally was held a week after a peace accord was signed between the National Unity Government and Hekmatyar’s Hezb-i-Islami (Party of Islam) party which is considered a terrorist organization by a considerable number of Afghanis.
According to the agreement, personal sanctions previously imposed against a number of notable Hezb-i-Islami functionaries have been lifted, while Hekmatyar himself was granted legal immunity along with a position in the government.
Ramin Anuri, one of the protest’s organizers, told Sputnik that by signing the agreement with Hezb-i-Islami the government neglected investigating the killings of civilians during armed conflicts in Afghanistan that might’ve been committed by the party.
"If we take a closer look at the agreement, we can see that it contains no references to the instances of our fellow countrymen’s deaths that Hekmatyar’s men are suspected to be responsible for. The people of Afghanistan feel for those killed and injured, and call to rectify this injustice. Hekmatyar must face justice," Anuri said.
The protesters said that they were willing to accept the peace agreement but not Hekmatyar, as they consider him responsible for numerous crimes perpetrated against civilians.
They also called the agreement a "political deal between a government and a criminal", arguing that it undermines the memory and reputation of the Hezb-i-Islami’s victims. The protesters demanded the government to reconsider a number of the agreement’s provisions and to lift the immunity from Hekmatyar so that the court would make a "just decision" regarding his fate.
