کابل پرس

Hazara Diaspora Organizations' Statement on the Situation in Behsud

Hazara International — 2021-03-25T17:27:06Z

We the undersigned, Hazara diaspora civil society organizations, express our deep concerns about the tense situation unfolding in the Behsud district of Afghanistan's Maidan-Wardak province. The Afghanistan National Security and Defence Force (ANDSF) have been deployed to launch a military operation against a local resistance force under Commander Abdul Ghani Alipur following the crash of a military helicopter on 17 March 2021, which killed nine army personnel on board. Earlier this year, on 29 January 2021, Afghanistan's Commando Forces (Unit 333) drove Humvees into Hazara civilian protests in the district, killing 11 and wounding 39 civilian protesters. We express our sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims of these tragic events and call for an impartial and thorough investigation of these incidents including the circumstances that led to these preventable tragedies, and demand that those responsible be held accountable.

Our Concerns

The response from Afghan government leadership and its military officials to the tragic incident of the Army helicopter crash has created considerable concerns among the local population in Behsud. On a telephone conference with the families of victims on 20 March, President Ashraf Ghani called for “revenge” for the Afghan army's deaths. Similar statements were made by other security and defense officials, some of which are very concerning. For example, in a social media post, the Commander of the 215 Maiwand Afghan Army Corps ordered the military personnel to “hunt Alipur's group members and their supporters in Kabul, highways, districts, police stations and Behsud like rabid dogs”. Such statements are deeply unsettling as they incite violence and promote extrajudicial killing in breach of International Law. With troops' deployment and the retaliatory measures underway in Behsud, we are deeply concerned about the possibility of further intensification of violence resulting in gross human rights abuses in the district. Furthermore, such language on the part of Afghan government officials is likely to incite targeted ethnic violence against Hazara civilians throughout Afghanistan. Prodromes of ethnic violence are already present on social media.

We are worried that if the current tense situation in Behsud is not adequately addressed, the crisis could spark full-scale violence in the district and greater Hazara regions since the conflict in Behsud has deep historical and inter-ethnic dimensions too. The people of Behsud have been facing annual conflict with the Kochi (nomads). Despite the local population and their political representatives' pleas, the government has failed to resolve the land issues between the Kuchi and the local population to prevent disputes. Furthermore, the Taliban's attacks on the Hazara travelers on Jalriz Road connecting Kabul to central Afghanistan have been ongoing for many years and the government has been unable to provide security measures to protect the people. These factors underlie the circumstances in which Alipur's militia forces emerged as a local self-defense mechanism to protect the local population against the Kochi and the Taliban invasions of Hazara villages, as well as to protect travelers on the road.

We are also concerned that the government's response to the conflict in Behsud and its disproportionate retaliatory measures could be politically motivated. We are disheartened that the former police chief of Maidan Wardak Allah Dad Fadaei – responsible for the killings, arbitrary arrests, and torture of civilians on 29 January – was recently appointed as the police chief of Laghman province instead of being held accountable for gross violation of human rights. These violations, which were confirmed by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) report published on 8 February 2021 is in breach of International Humanitarian Law, in particular the obligation to not attack civilians and civilian objects. The government's decision to appoint Fedaei to another security role has seriously harmed public trust in the rule of law while reaffirming the local concerns and fears that the government's response to the conflict in Behsud is politically motivated.

Given all these concerns, we are worried that the current military retaliation, particularly the use of national security forces for political purposes will result in loss of public confidence in ANDSF and escalation of violence beyond Behsud. This will further jeopardize Afghanistan's stability and security and provide opportunities for spoilers, including regional actors, to exploit the situation for their interests, and undermine a historic opportunity for a peace settlement with the Taliban. To address the existing concerns and risks we are demanding the following:

Our demands

We urge the Afghan Government and security forces to:
Resolve the conflict peacefully instead of through military action and retaliation, which could further escalate violence and insecurity in Behsud and its surrounding areas.
Remove Allah Dad Fadaei from his role as the Police Chief of Laghman and refer his case to the judiciary for an independent investigation.
We demand that:

The international community and the states engaged in Afghanistan put pressure on the Afghan Government to avoid escalation of violence and reach a peaceful resolution to the Behsud tensions.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) office conducts independent investigations into the alleged human rights violations committed in Behsud.
States engaged in Afghanistan and the United Nations conduct an impartial investigation into the crash of the ANDSF helicopter on 17 March, including providing technical expertise and intelligence to identify the source of the potential attack and perpetrators.
We urge the AIHRC and Amnesty International to:

Closely monitor the ongoing developments in Behsud and provide independent and impartial reporting to counter misinformation.
Conduct its own investigations into human rights violations, including the killing of civilians and members of the ANDSF.

Submission by: Hazara International, Australian Hazara Women's Friendship Network, Hazara Council of Great Britain, World Hazara Council, Canadian-Hazara Humanitarian Services in Canada, Salsal Association in Sweden, The Hazara Research Collective, Hazara Kulturverein Hamburg, Katib Cultural Association in Denmark, World Ismaili Hazara Network in Canada, and Baba Mazari Foundation in Australia. Hazara Association of New Zealand

World-wide Protest: Declaration Against Hazara Genocide In Pakistan

Hazara International — 2013-02-19T07:19:08Z

At least 92 members of Hazara died, including some 20 women and 18 children, more than 200 sustained serious injuries and 30 people gone missing when a bombed ripped through a densely populated fruit market situated in Hazara Town, a Hazara enclave, in Quetta on Saturday, 16 February, 2013. It happened just 38 days after a similar organized attack on Alamdar Road, another Hazara enclave, claimed over a hundred lives.

More than 1100 Hazaras have been killed over last one decade in Pakistan's largest province, Balochistan, by Al-Qaeda-cum-Taliban linked militant groups such as Lashkar-e-Jangvi (LeJ) and its affiliates under the very nose of the government and it's law enforcement agencies.

The state of Pakistan; the elected government, law enforcement agencies and an otherwise hyperactive judiciary, has blatantly failed to protect the ethno-sectarian minority in Quetta. Inaction of the security forces against the terrorist outfits has resulted to a serious perception that they are complicit in the genocide of Hazaras in Balochistan. Such concerns have been raised by a number of human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International.

The acting Governor of Balochistan province, Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi, has confessed that “the terrorist attack on the Hazara community in Quetta is a failure of the intelligence and security forces”. However, we believe that terrorists groups such as Lashkar-e-Jangvi (LeJ) operate under the patronage of the country's military establishment and it's intelligence agencies which is evident from the fact, among others, that a handful of killers succeed to launch terror attacks on Hazaras repeatedly without being apprehended or even chased. We, therefore, stage a world-wide hunger strike unless our demands are met:
1: Declare a state of emergency regarding the Hazara state of affairs, as authorized by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
2: Apply diplomatic pressure on Pakistani government to immediately cease acts of discrimination against the Hazara and to stop supporting terrorist groups who commit violent acts against them.
3: Ask the Refugee Convention's state parties to protect Hazara asylum seekers and grant them asylum.
4: Establish an international truth Commission to investigate crimes against the Hazara.
5: Open comprehensive cases concerning genocide and gross human rights violations in international courts such as the ICC.
6: Appeal to international media to investigate and report on activities against the Hazara, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pashtun extremists in RFE/RL are after Hazara Anti-Taliban commander Abdul Hakim Shujai

Hazara International — 2012-12-27T18:16:34Z

Hazara People International Network: It has been clearly mentioned in Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty mission statement that "RFE/RL combats ethnic and religious intolerance and promotes mutual understanding among peoples". However, recent unprofessional and unbalanced news coverage by Dari and Pashtu sections of RFE/RL against an anti-Taliban commander who belongs to Hazara community is absolutely in contrary with this radio's mission.

Here are some examples of RFE/RL news coverage:

1: A local commander has killed 17 civilians
13.05.1391
In this news Abdul Hakim Shujai has been accused of involvement in the killing of 17 civilians and there is no any detail or evidences.
http://da.azadiradio.org/content/news/24665276.html
Source of RFE/RL: Province Council Directors (No Name)

2: Murder of dozens of civilians in Urozgan has escaped
16.05.1391
In this report, Radio RFE/RL claims that the reporter has talked with inhabitants of Khas district of Urozgan province and Abdul Hakim Shujai kidnapped 20 civilians and killed 17 of them. There is no any news about 3 of 20 civilians. There is no any voice of inhabitants of Khas district in journalist news.
http://da.azadiradio.org/content/article/24668196.html
Source of RFE/RL: Province Council Directors (No Name)

3: People of Urozgan want detention of Abdul Hakim Shujai
21.08.1391
http://da.azadiradio.org/content/article/24767631.html
In this RFE/RL news it has been mentioned that Abdul Hakim Shujai has been accused of involvement in the killings of 120 civilians including children and women. Now, they have increased the number of civilian victims from 17 to 120 and there is no any further news about 3 kidnapped civilians.

4: Afghan interior Ministry has ordered Abdul Hakim Shujai detention
23.08.1391
http://da.azadiradio.org/content/news/24769671.html
In this news it has mentioned by RFE/RL journalist that Abdul Hakim Shujai has been accused of involvement in the killing of more than 100 civilians in Urozgan and, Minister Mojtaba Patang has ordered his detention.
(Note: Mojtaba Patang was a police officer under Taliban regime.)

5: Afghan government has failed to detain Abdul Hakim Shujai
In this news RFE/RL journalist repeats previous claims without any details.
http://da.azadiradio.org/content/article/24810035.html
A quick glance at above five news titles shows that RFE/RL journalist (s) in Dari and Pashtu sections are not willing to follow radio's mission statement. These RFE/RL journalists also do not provide balanced news. Here is another news title on official website of Afghanistan Parliament:

http://www.wolesi.com/pvd/showdoc.aspx?Id=3532
In this official news, members of Urozgan Provincial Council visit the speaker of the Parliament Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi and they thank Abdul Hakim Shujai for his efforts against the Taliban. They say the Taliban are dangerous threats for people in Urozgan.

The fact is that Abdul Hakim Shujai protects civilians from Taliban attacks and those such as Patang and Obaidullah Barikzai who claim against him are well-connected to Taliban and drag traffickers.

Here is another news title of Uozgan published in New York Times:
Taliban Kill 9 Members of Minority in Ambush
By ALISSA J. RUBIN
Published: June 25, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/world/asia/26kabul.html?_r=0

Urozgan is the homeland of the Hazara people. In the last decade of the 19 century during the genocide of the Hazaras, it has been invaded by Pashtuns while many Hazara natives of this land were forced to leave their homes and farms and had to immigrate to the other neighboring provinces.

خبر اشغال ارزگان توسط افغان ها در رسانه های بین المللی

The morning call., October 02, 1892

The morning call., October 02, 1892
Now, many Hazaras are servants of the Pashtun invaders in their own homeland.

London International Conference on Genocide of the Hazara People

Hazara International — 2012-11-22T19:40:23Z

British Parliament
November 19, 2012

Photo by Asif Ali Mohammad

Norwegian MP Marit Nybakk condemns killing of Hazaras

Hazara International — 2012-10-06T17:22:08Z

A delegation of Norwegian-Hazaras met Mrs. Marit Nybakk on October 3, 2012. The venue of the meeting was the parliament building of Norway. Mrs. Marit Nybakk is a well-known politician for the Labour Party and 3rd Vice President of the Norwegian parliament.

Meeting started with an introduction by Marit Nybakk and Ali Raza, heading the delegation, briefly described the plight of Hazaras in Afghanistan in general and Pakistan in particular. He said, “It has been now nearly 12 years, Hazaras are being killed by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a militant religious group in Pakistan. He referred to Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's fact-finding Report about Baluchistan 2012 - Released August 30th, 2012, that says that Hazaras have been uprooted from Loralai, Machh and Zhob (small towns in Baluchistan province around Quetta city) and over 800 had been killed since 1999. In the democratic regime from February 2008 until May 2012 at least 550 Hazaras have been killed. Even the women and children are the victims of these terrorist attacks. Currently, the Hazara community seems to have been besieged by terror and have been put under house arrest in Quetta city, Pakistan. Giving reference to an attack on university bus carrying mostly Hazara students on June 18, 2012, he said, “… hundreds of Hazara students cannot attend colleges and universities due to fear of being targeted and killed.”

Sadique Ali, a member of the delegation, described that Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is listed in the UN 1267 Committee's consolidated list and as a proscribed terrorist organization by the governments of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Pakistan. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi despite being a banned militant group is very active in Pakistan to kill Hazaras. Terrorists after every killing incident telephone to the local newspaper offices and audaciously claim the responsibility for the killings. They also post the extremely graphic videos of the killings on YouTube and other social media networks to terrorize Hazara community in Quetta and all around the world. He added more that the national media blamed the provincial and federal governments for being a total failure in bringing terrorists to justice; however, Hazara community believed that the government and state establishments had deliberately disregarded Hazaras because a community with nearly half million cannot bring any major political change in the country and those involved in the killing of Hazaras had been reported as “strategic assets” of the state establishment. That's why the killers have apparently enjoyed full impunity in killing Hazaras anywhere they like.

Zakia Ali Zade, another member of the delegation, pointed out the provincial and federal government's failure in providing security to the Hazara community. She said either government was unable or unwilling to take measureable steps to stop the systematic-genocide of Hazaras in Pakistan as till date no perpetrator of these terrorist attacks against Hazaras had been arrested and brought to a verifiable justice. Giving reference to September and October 2011 incidents, where 48 Hazaras were taken off the bus/wagon in different incidents, were lined up and killed, while Chief Minister of Balochistan, Aslam Raisani, responding to a question from a journalist in Islamabad made fun of Hazaras by offering to send a truckload of tissue papers to the bereaving families. Another Pakistan People's Party parliamentarian from the area — Ayatullah Durrani — suggested on a television show that the victim community benefits by getting Australian asylum. She said, “...their statements show how seriously they take the issue. In other words, this means green-signal to the terrorists.”

Mrs. Marit Nybakk expressed her grief and concerns over the current law and order situation in Quetta Pakistan. She said she would also discuss with Mr. Akhtar Chaudhry, 4th vice president of the Norwegian parliament and Mr. Svein Herberg, member of Norwegian parliament, with whom the delegation had held meetings earlier this year. She promised to have a debate in the Norwegian parliament on the issue of systematic-genocide of Hazaras in Pakistan. She also said it was important to talk to government of Pakistan over the issue through foreign ministry; moreover there is great possibility to raise the issue at United Nations.

The delegation thanked Mrs. Marit Nybakk, in sparing time for the meeting out of her busy schedule, and showing her interest in raising the issue of systematic-genocide of Hazaras, in the Norwegian parliament and United Nations.

Norwegian Hazaras More Active: Meeting with MP Svein Harberg and Audun Halvorsen

Hazara International — 2012-07-07T13:29:35Z

On July 5, 2012, a delegation of Hazara citizens of Norway met Mr. Svein Harberg and Mr. Audun Halvorsen. Mr. Svein Harberg is a member of Norwegian parliament representing Aust-Agder in the parliament and Mr. Audun Halvorsen is a political advisor and they are from Conservative Party Parliamentary Group Norway. The meeting took place within the Norwegian Parliament.

Mr. Ali Raza and Ms. Manizha, representing the Hazara delegation, described the plight of Hazaras in Afghanistan in general and Pakistan in particular. Manizha, an Afghan-Hazara, now living in Norway who also lived in Pakistan as refugee, discussed the plight of Hazaras over the face of history. In Amir A. Rahman's regime in Afghanistan, Hazaras faced genocide of its worst kind, getting 63% of the total Hazara population killed. Thousands of Hazaras escaped from Afghanistan in the neighboring countries Iran and Indian sub-continent (Today's Pakistan). Manizha also described the miserable condition of Hazaras in Iran and Pakistan, stating her bitter experiences as refugee in Pakistan.

Ali Raza, a Pakistani-Hazara, explained how Hazaras, being citizens of Pakistan,

have contributed in the progress and prosperity of Pakistan. Despite the fact that Hazaras have contributed to the society in the fields of Education, Services, Arts, Business and Sports, the minority ethnic-community owing to its Shia-faith has been on the receiving side of decade long violence and discrimination. The noteworthy characteristic of the issue is that this violence is absolutely one-sided and a lone militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Taliban-affiliate has launched its ‘holy jihad' against the minority Hazara community without any recorded retaliation from the besieged community. Another noteworthy feature is that despite the number of people murdered rising to as high as 800, the government, Law-enforcing-agencies LEA and the judiciary of Pakistan, both on provincial as well as federal levels have failed to bring a single perpetrator of these crimes to verifiable justice. He said that Hazaras despite being law-abiding citizens is an oppressed community in Pakistan and facing systematic-genocide. “… From 1999 till date more than 800 Hazaras have lost their lives and yet not a single perpetrator has been arrested and brought to a verifiable justice”, he added. He also named some of the prominent personalities including Olympian boxer Syed Abrar Hussain Hazara who won many international titles for Pakistan, was shot dead on June 16, 2011 in Quetta.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a religious militant terrorist group, also a Taliban-Al-Qaeda affiliate and has sympathies from elements in the provincial and federal government, has always proudly accepted responsibility for these brutal attacks. In the year 2012, LeJ had even thrown flyers in the houses located in Hazara neighborhoods, warning Hazara to quit Pakistan well before 2012 or get ready to face the consequences. LeJ openly holds public demonstrations in the mainstream cities, even in Islamabad right under the nose of the officials responsible for safety of the citizens. Lej audaciously states its mission to make the Pakistan graveyard of more than a half million Hazaras. Government of Pakistan is either incompetent or complicit and so apparently has failed to put an end to the continued systematic genocide of Hazara community, perpetrated in the form of regular massacres.

The delegation requested Mr. Svein to raise the issue on the floor of Parliament and demanded the government of Norway to pressurize the government of Pakistan to take measureable steps to provide security to the law-abiding Hazara citizens. They also demanded Norwegian government to consider the Hazaras for asylum as a very special case.

Mr. Svein and Mr. Audun promised to raise the issue in the parliament and talk to foreign ministry of Norway in this regards. The delegation thanked Mr. Svein Harberg and Mr. Audun Halvorsen in sparing time for the meeting out of their busy schedule.

Hazara People Worldwide Protest: Canberra, The Hague, Toronto, Rome, Kabul, Quetta, Copenhagen, London, Oslo, Hamburg, Lahore, Karachi, Vienna, Auckland, Colorado, Hässleholm, Stockholm, Jakarta, Turin, Islamabad, New York, Daikundi, Bamiyan, Malmö and Brussels

Hazara International — 2012-05-13T11:35:22Z

RESOLUTION FOR WORLDWIDE PROTEST 2012

Hazara protesters in ………………….(city)……………….…(Country)……………………(dated)

We, the participants of today's protest rally, have gathered to denounce crimes against humanity and defend human rights and social justice, adapt the following resolutions:

1. We consider the massacre of Hazaras in Quetta, Pakistan, as a genocide and strongly condemn the discrimination against them.

2. We think that continuation of such crimes have been planned by secret agencies of the countries involved in the region as a psychological warfare against each other and to create clashes and hatred amongst the groups of various ethnicities and sects for their own strategic interests. We consider these conspiracies as crimes against humanity, spread of hatred and discrimination–which are strongly condemnable.

3. We, the participants of this protest demonstration, blame the intelligence agencies of the countries active in the region to be involved in committing crimes against humanity and warn them to stop killing the Hazara people.

4. We ask the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of genocide of Hazara people and play an active role in order to prevent the crimes and bring the criminals and perpetrators to justice.

5. The international institutions, particularly the United Nations (UN), European Union(EU), Amnesty International(AI), Human Rights Watch(HRW) etc are requested to take notice of Hazara genocide in Pakistan & Afghanistan and take practical steps in preventing their genocide as per resolution of Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

6. The massacre of Hazaras has become a routine activity for terrorists organizations/groups such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi(LeJ), Sipa-e-Sahaba Pakistan(SSP), Taliban, Al-Qaeda etc in Pakistan and Afghanistan. We therefore ask International Criminal Court (ICC) in Den Haag,Holland to prosecute the murderers (be it a group, party or a country) of innocent Hazara people

7. We ask the respected members of our parliament to take up the issue of Hazara genocide and their persecution in a session of our parliament in order to prevent repetition of such crimes by all means possible.

8. We ask our foreign minister to summon the ambassadors of Pakistan and Afghanistan to protest against the genocide of Hazaras and warn them to put an end to such crimes.

9. We respectfully ask the great international institutions of all faiths and senior religious personalities of all religions/sects to break their silence and promote religious/sectarian harmony among people of different faiths in order to prevent clashes, murder and genocide in the name of religion

10. We ask the international institutions including the United Nations, European Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch etc to ensure the protection of Hazara people in Afghanistan and Pakistan by warning the respective countries to end systematic discrimination based on ethnicity/faith as per Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

11. The invasion of Hazara land by Kuchi nomads and their killings should end forever. The Afghan rulers including present government have never tried to solve the issue on permanent bases but at times have even facilitated them to commit heinous crimes. We ask the International institutions such as UN, EU, Amnesty International etc to pressurise Afghan government to put an end on such crimes and redress grievances of Hazara people.

12. We, the participants of the protests against Hazara genocide, request the members of civil society, intellectuals, journalists, human rights organizations, social and political activists of the world particularly Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran to rise up against the genocide, persecution, systematic discrimination of Hazaras by exposing their government's heinous crimes.

13. We request the Hazara people across the globe to ignore their ideological, sectarian and regional differences and to give priority to the national cause rather than personal materialistic interests in order to fight the crimes committed against your people in a united and effective manner.

14. We ask the Hazaras across the globe to work together, as always, in promoting human rights, rule of law, peace and brotherhood, propagation of human rights values and enlighten the world about their history, traditions and culture in a friendly and peaceful manner–regardless of race, color and religion.

Worldwide protest map

Systematic crimes against Hazaras, timeline and map

Timeline of Systematic crime agaisnt Hazaras in Afghanistan (PDF)
Timeline of systematic crimes agaisnt Hazaras in Pakistan (PDF)

Hazara Protesters' letter to Ministers of Foreign Affairs

Hazara People International Network and Hazara Democratic Party in Pakistan have asked Hazara poetasters around the world to sign this letter and send it to Minister of Foreign affairs, where the protests take place.

Date…………………………….

From:…………………(Name)………..a (citizenship/residence/country) Hazara

To: the respected Minister of Foreign affairs

Subject: Committing genocide, forced displacement and systematic discrimination against Hazaras in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
I carry the grievances of a people who are being persecuted, massacred and systematically discriminated in Pakistan and Afghanistan even in today's 21st century when there are a number of institutions and organizations such as the UN, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Court of Justice etc formed to fight against these crimes.

For more than a century our people have been subjected to genocide, forced displacements, slavery and systematic discrimination which are still continuing in the 21st century.

The terrorists groups backed by the intelligence agencies of the countries involved in the region are slaughtering scores of our people in Quetta, Pakistan, while in Afghanistan the systematic discrimination still continue against them and tens of thousands of Hazara men, women and children become the victims of Kochi Pakhtuns each year. The Kochis backed by the Afghan government and Taliban not only massacre them but rob their properties and displace them forcefully.

Respected Minister of Foreign Affairs,

I request you to not to be indifferent towards the systematic crimes against the Hazaras and fulfill your obligations in this regard as a highest responsible authority in the foreign affairs.
I request you to immediately summon the ambassadors of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the Foreign Ministry to inquire them about the systematic crimes committed against Hazaras and ask them to ensure that such crimes won't repeat in the future.
I request you to take up the issue of systematic crimes against the Hazaras in the responsible national and international forums to create consensus in order to effectively prevent crimes against Hazaras and redress their grievances.

Yours truly,

Name and Signature:

Canberra, Australia

The Hague, Netherlands

Toronto, Canada

Rome, Italy

Kabul, Afghanistan

Quetta, Pakistan

Copenhagen, Denmark

London, UK

Oslo, Norway

Hamburg, Germany

Lahore, Pakistan

Karachi, Pakistan

Vienna, Austria

Hässleholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

Turin, Italy

Islamabad, Pakistan

New York, USA

Colorado, USA

Daikondi, Afghanistan

Jakarta, Indonesia

Bamiyan, Afghanistan

Brussels, Belgium

Malmö, Sweden

Quetta, Pakistan

Worldwide protest of Hazara people against genocide starts from Quetta, Daikundi, Bamiyan, Malmö and Brussels!

Hazara International — 2012-04-25T15:33:32Z

RESOLUTION FOR WORLDWIDE PROTEST 2012

Hazara protesters in ………………….(city)……………….…(Country)……………………(dated)

We, the participants of today's protest rally, have gathered to denounce crimes against humanity and defend human rights and social justice, adapt the following resolutions:

1. We consider the massacre of Hazaras in Quetta, Pakistan, as a genocide and strongly condemn the discrimination against them.

8. We ask our foreign minister to summon the ambassadors of Pakistan and Afghanistan to protest against the genocide of Hazaras and warn them to put an end to such crimes.

Worldwide protest map

Systematic crimes against Hazaras, timeline and map

Timeline of Systematic crime agaisnt Hazaras in Afghanistan (PDF)
Timeline of systematic crimes agaisnt Hazaras in Pakistan (PDF)

Hazara Protesters' letter to Ministers of Foreign Affairs

Date…………………………….

From:…………………(Name)………..a (citizenship/residence/country) Hazara

To: the respected Minister of Foreign affairs

For more than a century our people have been subjected to genocide, forced displacements, slavery and systematic discrimination which are still continuing in the 21st century.

Respected Minister of Foreign Affairs,

Yours truly,

Name and Signature:

Daikondi, Afghanistan

Jakarta, Indonesia

Bamiyan, Afghanistan

Brussels, Belgium

Malmö, Sweden

Quetta, Pakistan

Erroneous views on Afghanistan and the Hazaras by Pakistani writer

Hazara International — 2011-12-13T06:13:03Z

“WHOLESALE SALE OF HUMAN CAPTIVES

Hazara International Network: Pakistani journalist Ahmad Rashid has recently published an article on Afghanistan titled "Afghanistan: A New Sectarian War?"on a literary website based in the United States, nybooks.com.

Hazara International Network believes that the author of this article is not only ignorant about basic facts and information about Afghanistan in general but also about Hazaras in particular, the country's oldest ethnic group.

Firstly there has been no real national census undertaken; so how does Mr. Rashid say Shias are 10-15 percent of the population?
He claims that Afghan Shias make up of the country's three million Hazaras – an ethnic group descended from Genghis Khan and the Mongols who are concentrated in the Hazarajat, the highlands region of central Afghanistan. These numbers are completely erroneous when there has been not one national census to date as the Afghan (Pashtun) government of Afghanistan has no intention of clarifying the real figures of various ethnic groups. Rather, it appears that the Afghan government wants to continue the myth that the Pashtuns are the majority to retain absolute power .

Secondly, Hazaras are not only Shia. If they make up the majority of Shias in Afghanistan, the majority of Hazaras are Sunni. Some Hazaras are also Christian. Hazaras Sunnis are living in Badakhshan, Takhar, Konduz, Panjshir, Baghlan, Sar i pol, Jawzjan, Faryab, Ghur and Badghis.

Thirdly, Hazaras are not Afghan. We do respect all ethnic groups in Afghanistan. But we the Hazaras have our own culture and history. Afghan or Pashtun is another ethnic group currently living in south and east Afghanistan and a part of Pakistan.

Hazara people are Turkic people and descendants of the Kushans. There are also Mongol influences in less than ten percent of Hazaras. Hazara People are living in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India and central Asian countries like Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Millions of Hazara people were and are forced to leave their homeland, the country we call Afghanistan now.

It is significant to note that the Iranian government is a player in this situation . Just inside Iran, the Turkic peoples who make up more than 50% of the population are not allow to educate themselves in their native language. Most of refugees and asylum seekers in Iran are Hazaras but they suffer systematic discrimination. Iran has always supported anti-Hazara groups such as Harakat Islami belong to pro-Iranian Mullah Asif Mohseni and Ahmad Shah Masud, the leader of the Northern Alliance who was killed in 2001. Asif Mohsini is currently enjoying the Iranian government's hospitality right now.

Yet author Rashid asserts, "As part of its anti-American policy, Iran also backs several Taliban groups that operate in western Afghanistan and has used its influence to warn the Taliban not to touch the country's Shia minority." This is totally wrong. Taliban have blocked the roads for Hazaras in Southern Afghanistan. They rob Hazaras and kill them. Hazaras are also facing the fully armed Kuchi Pashtun nomads' attacks every year. More than three thousand Hazara families are forced to flee every year. Hazaras are suffering the systematic discrimination of Hamid Karzai's tribal mafia regime. A good example of this is less than two percent of the national budget of Afghanistan for Hazara populated areas like Bamian and Daikoundi.

Furthermore, massacres of Hazaras or rather"genocide of Hazaras" did not commence during the Taliban regime. Hazara people have long faced violence in Afghanistan, suffering genocide, slavery, and forced displacement under a series of Afghan governments including the Taliban and Karzai's current regime.

Or further into history there are reports from 1893 when more than 60% of the Hazaras were killed just in 5-10 years. This was reported in Australian newspapers at the time:

“WHOLESALE SALE OF HUMAN CAPTIVES

The Ameer of Afghanistan has sold ten thousand Hazara captives as slaves to pay the expenses of war.

Oct 1893/ The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860-1954)”

Back to contemporary times. The recent attack on Hazara people in Kabul is not only a attack on Shias. They main reason of the attack is ethnic cleansing. That attack is strongly connected to genocide of Hazaras in Pakistan. We believe terrorist groups such as LG, Taliban, Al-Qaeda and Pakistan, Iran and Saudi Arabian security forces have a hand in genocide of the Hazaras.

Perhaps Mr. Rashid should be reminded of the second article of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide:

Article 2

In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

(a) Killing members of the group;

(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Clearly, Ahmad Rashid's views on the region are blinkered and misinformed. Hopefully readers can look elsewhere for facts on Hazaras even if that means sourcing google for better information.

Hazara People Timeline (1890-2012): Victims of Genocide, Slavery, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity

Hazara International — 2011-11-29T21:27:34Z

Hazara People International Network: This Timeline has been developed to provide a snapshot of the Hazara's situation in Afghanistan since 1890. Hazara people are the most persecuted people in the world. They are victims of genocide, slavery, war crimes and crimes against humanity. This timeline shows how the systematic crimes against the Hazaras is continuing.

Hazara People Timeline (1890-2012): Victims of Genocide, Slavery, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity

کابل پرس

Hazara Diaspora Organizations' Statement on the Situation in Behsud

Table of contents

Our Concerns

Our demands

World-wide Protest: Declaration Against Hazara Genocide In Pakistan

Pashtun extremists in RFE/RL are after Hazara Anti-Taliban commander Abdul Hakim Shujai

London International Conference on Genocide of the Hazara People

Norwegian MP Marit Nybakk condemns killing of Hazaras

Norwegian Hazaras More Active: Meeting with MP Svein Harberg and Audun Halvorsen

Hazara People Worldwide Protest: Canberra, The Hague, Toronto, Rome, Kabul, Quetta, Copenhagen, London, Oslo, Hamburg, Lahore, Karachi, Vienna, Auckland, Colorado, Hässleholm, Stockholm, Jakarta, Turin, Islamabad, New York, Daikundi, Bamiyan, Malmö and Brussels

Table of contents

RESOLUTION FOR WORLDWIDE PROTEST 2012

Worldwide protest map

Systematic crimes against Hazaras, timeline and map

Hazara Protesters' letter to Ministers of Foreign Affairs

Canberra, Australia

The Hague, Netherlands

Toronto, Canada

Rome, Italy

Kabul, Afghanistan

Quetta, Pakistan

Copenhagen, Denmark

London, UK

Oslo, Norway

Hamburg, Germany

Lahore, Pakistan

Karachi, Pakistan

Vienna, Austria

Hässleholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

Turin, Italy

Islamabad, Pakistan

New York, USA

Colorado, USA

Daikondi, Afghanistan

Jakarta, Indonesia

Bamiyan, Afghanistan

Brussels, Belgium

Malmö, Sweden

Quetta, Pakistan

Worldwide protest of Hazara people against genocide starts from Quetta, Daikundi, Bamiyan, Malmö and Brussels!

Table of contents

RESOLUTION FOR WORLDWIDE PROTEST 2012

Worldwide protest map

Systematic crimes against Hazaras, timeline and map

Hazara Protesters' letter to Ministers of Foreign Affairs

Daikondi, Afghanistan

Jakarta, Indonesia

Bamiyan, Afghanistan

Brussels, Belgium

Malmö, Sweden

Quetta, Pakistan

Erroneous views on Afghanistan and the Hazaras by Pakistani writer

Table of contents

“WHOLESALE SALE OF HUMAN CAPTIVES

Hazara People Timeline (1890-2012): Victims of Genocide, Slavery, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity