A group of women in Pakistan in a protest called on the international community to break its silence over what they describe as “Hazara genocide” in Afghanistan.
During the protest, held on the second anniversary of the deadly attack on the Kaaj Educational Center in Kabul and the killing of Hazara civilians in Uruzgan, the women in a statement condemned “the ongoing, systematic violence” against their community.
The protesters emphasized that the killings of Hazaras continue under various pretexts and in a “structured” manner, demanding global recognition of these atrocities.
The October 2022 attack on the Kaaj Educational Center, located in the predominantly Hazara district of Dasht-e-Barchi in Kabul, left more than 45 students dead, most of them girls from the Hazara community.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, suggested the incident was part of the Islamic State’s ongoing campaign of violence in the country.
Despite Taliban claims that ISIS has no presence in Afghanistan, the militant group has not announced any arrests or actions against those responsible for the attack, two years after the tragedy.
In their statement, the Hazara women called on the international community and human rights organizations to officially recognize the ongoing violence against Hazaras as genocide. They demanded urgent steps to prevent further atrocities and called for the formation of an independent commission, under the United Nations, to investigate the situation.
The resolution also urged the International Criminal Court to prosecute those responsible for organizing and carrying out the “genocide” of Hazaras in Afghanistan. The women called upon Hazara intellectuals, the younger generation, and the people of Afghanistan to unite in opposition to the ongoing violence and contribute to efforts aimed at stopping these crimes.
