Abdul Jabar Sabet

Abdul Jabar Sabit is an Afghan politician.cite news
url=http://detainees.mcclatchydc.com/detainees/6
title=Guantanamo Inmate Database: Zia Khalid Najib
publisher=Miami Herald
author=Tom Lasseter
date=June 15 2008
accessdate=2008-06-16
quote=This division did not have anything to do with the crimes attributed to them," Sabit said. "Only their behavior in the prison was taken into account. [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdetainees.mcclatchydc.com%2Fdetainees%2F6&date=2008-06-16 mirror] ] In May 2006 Hamid Karzai appointed him Attorney General of Afghanistan.Sabet is an ethnic Pashtun.

Sabet was a long time aid to America's current most wanted terrorist Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and was an ally to Osama bin Laden.cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=The True North? Canada Dodges Connection to the Kabul Airport Scandal |url=http://www.skyreporter.com/blog/page/1/20070409_01/ |format= |work= |publisher=Sky News |location= |id= |pages= |page= |date=April 9, 2007 |accessdate=2008-02-22 |language= |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= ] After leaving Afghanistan, he worked in the U.S. for Voice of America but was fired for his ongoing links to Hekmatyar.

Sabet later entered Canada and settled in Montreal, Quebec. It is suspected that Sabet entered illegally and did not disclose his past to the Canadian government as Citizenship and Immigration Canada say they have no record of Sabet’s name.

Sabet returned to Afghanistan to work in the Interior Ministry. He was promoted to Attorney General in May 2006. Sources close to the President Hamid Karzai say that Sabet was promoted with U.S. support in exchange for giving positive comments about the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.He has however been critical of the Guantanamo release policy.A series of articles on former Guantanamo captives, published by the McClatchy News Service, quoted Sabet commenting that the release of Guantanamo captives seemed to be divorced from the captives' role in the Taliban, and to be focussed largely on whether the captives complied with the camp rules.

In April 2007, Sabet launched a violent raid on Tolo TV (the country's largest private TV chain) for what he thought was a "distorted" report on his comments regarding the country's judicial system. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=Afghan official with Canadian past tied to violent TV raid |url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/04/18/qc-abduljabarsabet.html |format= |work= |publisher=CBC News |location= |id= |pages= |page= |date=April 18, 2007 |accessdate=2008-02-22 |language= |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= ] Seven journalists from the TV station were taken to his office by force without warrants and severely beaten. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=Rogue Attorney General Humbled By Gen. Amerkhel’s Return |url=http://skyreporter.com/blog/20070426_01/ |format= |work= |publisher=Sky News |location= |id= |pages= |page= |date=April 26, 2007 |accessdate=2008-02-23 |language= |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= ]

Sabet has been criticized for targeting individuals of non-Pashtun ethnicity and has been called a racist. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=Afghan Attorney General Criticized in Corruption Fight |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11885980 |format= |work= |publisher=National Public Radio |location= |id= |pages= |page= |date=July 11, 2007 |accessdate=2008-02-22 |language= |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= ]

Sabet Accused of Corruption and Breaking the Law

In April, 17, 2006 Sabet launched a raid on the country's most popular TV Channel ToloTV. The raid ended with detention and questioning of Tolo TV staff and journalists for broadcasting a news clip about Sabet. The raid was fiercely protested and announced as illegal by the law-makers, the UN office UNAMA and independent journalists. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=Afghan govt raids TV station over news clip |url=http://tolo.tv/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=42 |format= |work= |publisher=AFP/Reuters|location= |id= |pages= |page= |date=April 18, 2006 |accessdate=2008-04-14|language= |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= ]

Following the raid, TOLO TV launched a formal complaint against Sabet and Co. "The complaint identifies at least 11 potential breaches of the law by Mr Sabet ... [and others] , [for] the potential crimes ...of the utmost seriousness and directly affect issue of rule of law and sustainability of democracy in Afghanistan, especially given that they may be perpetrated by a person holding the highest operational legal position in Afghanistan."" Among others Tolo TV's complaint requested the "immediate suspension of Mr Sabet and his co-workers implicated in the incident, including the Commander of District 10 Police pending the finalisation of investigations. The results of this complaint remain unknown. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=Afghan Attorney General Raids TV station |url=http://www.afghanmania.com/en/news/0,news,4979,00.html |format= |work= |publisher= |location= |id= |pages= |page= |date=April 18, 2006 |accessdate=2008-04-14 |language=English |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= ]

On June 8 2007 Sabit reported that he was beaten in a revenge attack.cite news
url=http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-06/2007-06-08-voa26.cfm?CFID=20509469&CFTOKEN=30583036
title=Afghanistan's Attorney General Attacked in Kabul
publisher=Voice of America
author=
date=2997-06-08
accessdate=2008-07-29
quote=Attorney General Abdul Jabar Sabet told reporters he was driving north of the capital when he was confronted by General Din Mohammad Jurat, former head of security in the interior ministry, and a group of armed men. Sabet said he was beaten by rifle butts and that the attackers fired their weapons. He accused Jurat of orchestrating the attack, which he said was a kidnap attempt. [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.voanews.com%2Fenglish%2Farchive%2F2007-06%2F2007-06-08-voa26.cfm%3FCFID%3D20509469%26CFTOKEN%3D30583036&date=2008-08-03 mirror] ] Sabit said that General Din Mohammad Jurat was behind the attack, which he characterized as a failed kidnap attempt. The "Voice of America" reported::

Despite Sabet's claims of being champion of anti-corruption fight, the Head of Afghanistan's Department of Corruption and Bribery , Mr. Ezatullah Wasifi accused Sabet of corruption, he specifically said that " ... I am aware of many cases of [corruption] involving Attorney General [Sabet] ." (Ezatullah Wasifi, 14, April, 2008) [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=Afghan Attorney General Accused of Corruption |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/afghanistan/story/2008/04/080414_k-ram-sabet-corruption-.shtml |format= |work= |publisher=BBC Persian |location= |id= |pages= |page= |date=April 14, 2008 |accessdate=2008-04-14 |language=Persian |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= ]

On May 8 2008 the "Toronto Star" devoted an article to Sabet's anti-corruption efforts.cite news
url=http://www.thestar.com/SpecialSections/article/424024
title=Afghanistan's Untouchables
publisher=Toronto Star
author=Rosie Dimano
date=2007-05-10
accessdate=2008-08-03
quote=In the past 20 months, Attorney General Abdul Jabar Sabet has arrested some 300 top-echelon Afghan officials and charged them with corruption.

"Ask me how many of them are in jail."

How many of them are in jail?

"Not one. [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestar.com%2FSpecialSections%2Farticle%2F424024&date=2008-08-03 mirror] ] He told "Toronto Star" reporters that although he had arrested 300 Afghan officials on corruption charges in recent months he said he had been unable to keep even one of them behind bars.

Presidential ambitions

On July 17 2008 Hamid Karzai dismissed Sabet.cite news
url=http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july172008/sabet_resigns_7-17-08.php
title=Afghan Attorney General Gets the Boot from Karzai
publisher=Salem News
date=2008-07-17
accessdate=2008-08-03
quote=Afghan President Hamid Karzai has dismissed his attorney general after an announcement that Attorney-General Abdul Jabbar Sabit would run for the presidency in elections next year. The BBC reports that Mr Karzai said the post of attorney general needed to be free from 'political influences'.] His dismissal was reported to be triggered by Sabet's Presidential ambitions.

References