On January 31, the Afghan Parliament passed a bill that would grant amnesty for war crimes committed during the 25 years of conflict, reports the Belga news agency. "With the aim of reconciling the diverse communities, the draft legislation states that no political party or group involved in the two and a half decades of war will be prosecuted," explained Haseeb Noori, Parliament spokesperson. According to the bill, "defenders" of the jihad (war against the Soviet occupier from 1979 to 1989) "should be treated with respect and shielded from all insult." If the President enacts this new law, it will suspend the possibility for a trial to begin in Afghanistan. And yet, in 2005 the Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) concluded that three out of every four Afghans think that prosecuting the perpetrators of war crimes would help restore stability to the country [IJT-42].�