NEW YORK, Dec 17: Noting that Afghanistan’s first democratically elected parliament in more than three decades will convene in Kabul next week, the Human Rights Watch alleged on Saturday that many of the new legislators were directly or indirectly connected to current and or past human rights abuses.

“The international community will try to portray the opening of parliament as a triumph,” said Zia-Zarifi, HRW’s director for Afghanistan. “But many Afghans are worried about a parliament dominated by human rights abusers.”

The HRW made special mention of three prominent individuals among the legislators as human rights violators — Mohammad Qasim Fahim, a former defence minister and vice president in President Karzai’s government; Arsala Rahmani, a former high-level official in the Taliban’s religious affairs ministry; and Sher Mohammed Akhunzada, currently governor of Helmand province.