The American withdrawal from Afghanistan has been marked by chaos and animosity. Kabul’s unstable environment has effectively disguised significant issues regarding civilian protection (Amnesty International). After Taliban took control of Afghanistan at the beginning of the year, there have been terrifying reports of summary killings, child recruiting, and restrictions on women’s rights (Verma 107). The Hazara, a Shia Muslim ethnic group that dwells primarily in central Afghanistan’s mountainous Hazarajat region, is particularly vulnerable to the Taliban’s fury now that they control the country’s majority (Verma 107). On August 14th, the Taliban took control of Daykundi province. When the ANDSF surrendered, the Taliban killed nine more force members. They were deposited in a nearby river basin. Taliban fighters slaughtered 13 ethnic Hazaras in Afghanistan’s Daykundi region when former government security personnel surrendered, including a 17-year-old girl (Verma 107). A killing occurred in the Kahor hamlet of Khidir district on August 30th. therefore,this study will examine Hazara genocide and human rights violation in Afghanistan.
Problem Statement
Both state and non-state militant groups have long targeted the Hazara ethnic group. The bulk of Hazaras come from Afghanistan, primarily the Hazarajat region in the country’s middle. Hazaras have been involved in anti-Pashtun violence in Afghanistan’s north (Network and Ali 13). Thousands of Taliban soldiers were slain during a failed Taliban invasion of the city in May and July 1997, and it appears that Hazara men and boys were killed in reprisal (Network and Ali 13). After being apprehended in Shiberghan and other areas, including those where Mazar detainees were taken, over 2,000 of them were reportedly executed in cold blood. Witnesses reported the Taliban accused Hazaras of killing Taliban troops in 1997 during house-to-house searches, making no distinction between fighters and non-combatants (Network and Ali 14). The Hazaras are attacked because they are Shi’a. In Afghanistan, Islamic fundamentalists are Sunni Muslim radicals who regard Shi’a Muslims as unbelievers. With these cold-blooded executions, Taliban are committing the same terrible breaches that they were witnessed from the former Afghanistan administration. They frequently violate individuals rights they consider their competitors, including those who have already surrendered (Amnesty International).
Causes of the Problem
The Taliban and their sympathizers target the Hazara ethnic and religious minority Afghans and subject them to human rights violations. Because Hazaras have historically been the state’s most oppressed ethnic group, their situation has only improved somewhat since the foundation of modern Afghanistan (Amnesty International). The Taliban are thought to have displaced more than half of Hazarajat’s inhabitants, including many who were slain. Before the Taliban’s conquest of Kabul on August 15, 2021, the Taliban and Islamic State – Khorasan waged an increasingly violent assault against Hazaras (Amnesty International). Hundreds of Hazara citizens were slain in a wave of violence that attacked Hazara mosques and cultural and educational institutions in Kabul and other provincial cities. Since taking power and demolishing the constitutional system that gave citizens fundamental rights, the Taliban have re-established the Islamic Emirate, which ethnic discrimination and institutionalized sectarian against Hazaras. In Hazarajat, the Taliban have replaced Hazaras in leadership positions with Pashtuns who previously held identical posts. Furthermore, as the last Taliban attack highlighted, the situation is tied to religion. Evidence suggests that the Shi’a Hazaras were singled out due to this. In Afghanistan, Islamic fundamentalists are Sunni Muslim radicals who regard Shi’a Muslims as unbelievers. Similarly, this raid would not have been feasible without Hazaras’ help and American forces’ support. The Taliban’s control in Afghanistan came to an end due to the US-led invasion, giving the Hazara people new hope. Hazara women pushed for women’s liberation, and Hazara youth gained education and became leaders in social change efforts.
Violating Human Rights
The Human Rights Act of 2019 protects a person’s right to life and their right not to be deprived of it arbitrarily. The Human Rights Act safeguards the right to life. The United Nations Charter protects several human rights, including freedom from torture and slavery, labor and education, freedom of expression, and the right to life and liberty. The Taliban are still committing the same atrocities that made them famous in Afghanistan’s past, as these cold-blooded assassinations demonstrate (Amnesty International). They frequently violate the rights of individuals they consider their competitors (Amnesty International). Besides, the Taliban opened fire on the crowd in their pursuit, killing Masuma, a 17-year-old girl. Amnesty International examined recordings and photographs showing the remains of 11 men lining up, many of whom had bullet wounds to the head (Amnesty International).
International and National Action toward the Hazara Genocide
Hazaras dread the worst under Taliban rule for their people, who have been tormented for generations. After 2001, the Taliban and other armed groups targeted the Hazara ethnic group. While this is true, it is evident that international organizations have made little effort in this area. The international community’s protection of the Hazara people is in their best interests, both legally and morally. The Hazara people can only hope for peace if the international community sticks to its obligations to human rights and puts pressure on the Taliban to make concessions (Amnesty International). The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have already stopped making payments to Kabul, and the US has frozen Afghanistan’s assets on American soil (Amnesty International). If necessary, they can be used in negotiations with the Taliban. However, the UN, which is charged with upholding human rights, has done nothing since US soldiers left in 2021.
Conclusion
Both state and non-state militant groups have long targeted the Hazara ethnic group. The bulk of Hazaras come from Afghanistan, primarily the Hazarajat region in the country’s middle. With the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, there has been a significant increase in violence against the Hazara population. The Taliban and their sympathizers target the Hazara ethnic and religious minority Afghans and subject them to human rights violations. In Afghanistan, Islamic fundamentalists are Sunni Muslim radicals who regard Shi’a Muslims as unbelievers. The situation for Hazaras has not changed after decades of oppression, persecution, and social marginalization. Despite being a religious minority, regional players have overlooked the Hazaras. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have already halted payments to Kabul, and US assets in the country have been frozen. On the other side, the United Nations has done almost nothing to stop the massacre. Here, there is a lack of consideration for ethnicity.
Work Cited
Amnesty International. “Afghanistan: 13 Hazara Killed by Taliban Fighters in Daykundi Province – New Investigation.” Amnesty International, 6 Jan. 2022, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/10/afghanistan-13-hazara-killed-by-taliban-fighters-in-daykundi-province-new-investigation/.
Network, Afghanistan Analysts, and Ali Yawar Adili. “A Community Under Attack: How successive governments failed west Kabul and the Hazaras who live there.” (2022).
Verma, Raj. “Afghanistan, regional powers and non‐traditional security threats and challenges.” Global Policy 13.1 (2022): 107-113.
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