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More arrests as Taliban's trial of Christian aid workers continues
The Afghanistan "trial" of eight foreigners accused of promoting Christianity finished its fifth day yesterday, but the world remains in the dark as to how it's going. Reporters were told Sunday that the court was awaiting word from the prisoners on how they planned to defend themselves. As The New York Times reports today, it's not an easy question to answer—the detainees can't just pull a name from the phone book. "For one thing, there are no telephone directories because there are hardly any phones. For another, there are hardly any lawyers." And the case itself promises to enter uncharted territory. "You'd like a lawyer who could say, 'Been there, done that,' but the Taliban have a unique way of looking at justice, and I don't think that person exists," says American consular officer David T. Donahue. The Taliban seems to be making up the rules as it goes along, suggesting one day that there would be no prisoner swaps, then suggesting that there may be. As an example of how odd the trial is, the foreigners have only been allowed to appear in court once so far, and that was to protest their innocence. "During the investigation we were accused of many things but that was not true," Georg Taubmann, director of the Shelter Now office. "We have never converted anybody. We are shocked with the accusations." Taubmann, the seven other foreign Shelter Now workers, and their 16 Afghan coworkers got company over the weekend—but not from the three diplomats trying to contact them. Instead, the Taliban announced that it had arrested dozens of Afghans who had worked with International Assistance Mission, another aid organization that has faced recent crackdowns.

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September (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45