Rule of Law, Human Rights and Impunity: The Case of Afghanistan

This article seeks to explain the complicated relationship between human rights and the rule of law in a country that is unable or unwilling to advance the rule of law. Islamic principles and Afghan legal traditions complicates the already complex relationship between the rule of law, human rights and impunity. The rule of law and human rights are two sides of the same principle, the freedom to live in dignity. The rule of law and human rights therefore have an indivisible and intrinsic relationship. The Afghan government’s promotion of impunity, for warlords and others accused of war crimes, hampers the advancement of rule of law and human rights and negatively affects the path of reforms in the area of human rights and rule of law in Afghanistan.