Human Rights Watch Calls for Protection of Hazaras in Afghanistan
Human Rights Watch (HRW) stressed on the need to protect at-risk communities in Afghanistan, including the Hazaras.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) stressed on the need to protect at-risk communities in Afghanistan, including the Hazaras.
The organisation said that since the Taliban came to power in August 2021, ISIS has claimed responsibility for at least 17 attacks against Hazaras, in which more than 700 people were killed and wounded.
Referring to the shooting of 14 Hazaras in Daikundi claimed by ISIS, the Human Rights Watch said that ISIS-K has killed and wounded thousands of Hazaras and other religious minorities since its emergence in Afghanistan in 2015.
In 2021, Human Rights Watch said that it concluded that ISIS-K attacks and other targeted attacks against the Hazara community amounted to crimes against humanity.
On Friday, the organisation recalled that Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, called for an investigation into ISIS attacks in Afghanistan.
"The recent attack underscores the urgent need for the Taliban to take effective measures to protect all at-risk communities in Afghanistan, including Hazaras and other Shia Muslims," Human Rights Watch wrote.
The organisation also stressed that countries with ties to the Taliban should call for better support for at-risk communities and support the establishment of a mechanism to respond to international crimes in Afghanistan.
Survivors and families of victims need support in their quest for justice, Human Rights Watch said.
The UN Human Rights Council should also heed the call of Afghan and international human rights groups to establish a comprehensive international mechanism to hold violators accountable in Afghanistan.
ISIS-K said in a statement on Thursday that it had killed 15 civilians in Daikundi.
Just a few months after the Taliban came to power, ISIS threatened to kill Shiites from Baghdad to Khorasan.
