Afghanistan's Victims - NYTimes.com Re "Old Atrocities, Now Official, Galvanize Afghanistan" (news article, Oct. 1): As someone who has conducted forensic training in Afghanistan and has inspected the Pul-e-Charkhi grave, I was not surprised to read that "death lists" for atrocities committed by the government more than 30 years ago are receiving attention now. While the lists emerged thanks to the work of Dutch investigators, the results of the most comprehensive data collection effort on the Afghan conflict remain unpublished. This conflict mapping report, compiled by the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, is still in the government's hands. To ensure accountability and prevent future human rights abuses, past crimes must be confronted. Releasing this report will obligate the state to acknowledge the plight of Afghanistan's victims of repression, impunity and war. It is also the first step in building a judicial system in a country that desperately needs assurance that the past will not be repeated. Forensic Program Physicians for Human Rights Tallahassee, Fla., Oct. 1, 2013