A 19-year old Hazara Afghan girl weeps on the bench she was sitting on when a suicide bomber struck a Hazara education centre in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo / Ebrahim Noroozi, AP
A 19-year old Hazara Afghan girl weeps on the bench she was sitting on when a suicide bomber struck a Hazara education centre in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo / Ebrahim Noroozi, AP
OPINION
On October 8 and 9, peaceful protests were organised in 103 cities around the world by the Hazara people of Afghanistan, with one message: #stophazaragenocide.
Millions of Hazara people, along with their friends from around the world, got together to show solidarity, respect and to ask the international communityto open their eyes to the difficulties, hardship and targeted killing that the Hazara people are facing.
The protests were fuelled by the recent terrorist suicide bombing that occurred at Kaj educational centre in Kabul, where at least 59 were killed and 82 wounded, mostly young girls and boys.
In New Zealand too, the Hazara communities with their friends from different walks of life got together to protest in solidarity, with Hazara people in Auckland raising their voices for the voiceless people of Afghanistan.
Protesters march in downtown Auckland, calling an end to the killing of Hazara people in Afghanistan. Photo / Supplied
The Hazara people are thankful for the participation of Cabinet Minister Phil Twyford and former Cabinet Minister Chris Carter in attending our recent peaceful protest in Auckland to show respect and solidarity with the Hazara people.
Since 1890, Hazara people have faced systematic killing. Since the Taliban took back power one year ago, everyday life has changed dramatically for all people of Afghanistan, and it has become even more dangerous for the Hazara people.
Human Rights Watch has documented 17 terrorist attacks on Hazara in the past year alone, causing more than 700 casualties. Mosques, hospitals, and schools have been targeted.
The legal system under the Taliban has totally collapsed. Political parties, social organisations and civil institutions are not allowed to work, or are permanently banned by the Taliban.
Freedom of speech and security, which are the rights of all people, do not exist. Girls are banned from participating in schools.
The Taliban does not believe in democracy and human rights.
Alongside this, terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the ISIS-K have increased their activities, and the Doha Agreement (designed to bring peace to Afghanistan) is not being followed, as evidenced by the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in July in the vicinity of the presidential palace in Kabul.
Hazara Kiwis in New Zealand are asking the Government to step up and amplify the voices of the Hazara people in Parliament and on the world stage.
Zakaria Hazaranejad. Photo / Supplied
We want to see our Government advocating for action with world powers like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the rest of the world.
We need New Zealand’s leaders to play their part in seeking a permanent solution for the future of Afghanistan and the Hazara people.
As Hazara Kiwis, we believe there are now many documents and evidence that Hazaras in Afghanistan are facing organised and targeted killing.
We urge the New Zealand government to pay serious attention to this issue and recognise the genocide of the Hazara and cooperate with other governments and International legal Institutions to prevent the killing of Hazaras and ensure justice in Afghanistan.
Considering that the Taliban group has no legitimacy in the eyes of the Afghan people and has widely violated human rights and women’s rights, the Government of New Zealand and other governments should not recognise the Taliban regime.
Zakaria Hazaranejad is a former president of the Hazara Afghan Association of New Zealand.
