Afghan warlord now living in south London accused of 'heinous' offences at checkpoint
Sandra Laville
Saturday October 9, 2004
The Guardian
Graphic accounts of beatings, mock executions and the imprisonment and killings of men and boys at a checkpoint in Afghanistan were described to a jury at the Old Bailey yesterday by the attorney general as he opened the first torture prosecution of its kind in the world.
In the dock of court nine an Afghan man from Streatham, south London, sat taking notes and sipping water. Wearing a jumper and tracksuit bottoms, Faryadi Sarwar Zardad, 42, bent his head towards an interpreter seated next to him as the charges against him - conspiracy to torture and conspiracy to take hostages - were outlined. He denies the charges.
Lord Goldsmith said it was believed to be the first time that an alleged torturer had been prosecuted in one jurisdiction for offences said to have been carried out in another. <snip>
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1323312,00.html