Since the Taliban’s return to power, ethno-religious minorities in Afghanistan, particularly Hazaras, have reported increasing levels of violence and threats.
Local sources reported on Tuesday, September 12, another civilian, identified as Sayed Amir Shah Alawi, was killed in the southern province of Uruzgan. Local residents who spoke to the media said he was targeted because of his ethno-religious identity. The assailants remain at large, further establishing a trend of civilians being murdered under vague pretenses.
Since the Taliban takeover, there have been reports of increasing forced displacements, property confiscations, and violence against the Hazaras. Uruzgan in southern Afghanistan, where Hazaras constitute an even smaller minority than at the national level, have particularly grown precarious for them. However, the province has an outsized significance for the community as it is considered one of their key ancestral lands. According to experts and historical sources, during the 1890s, Uruzgan was the hotbed of state persecution of the Hazaras by the Afghan ruler, Amir Abdul Rahman.
Hazaras, an Asiatic-looking Shia ethnic group, who inhabit most of Central Afghanistan and live scattered in most of the northern, northeastern, and western provinces comprise a small minority in the South’s mostly Pashtun-dominated provinces. The community has historically been persecuted equally by the Afghan state and non-state ethno-religious extremist groups, especially the Taliban. The group is accused of the Hazara massacre in 1998 in the northern Balkh province and in 2001 in Bamyan and Samangan provinces.
Residents of Joy-e-Naw, a small rural area in the Khas Uruzgan district, say there has been a spike in land disputes and killings. They suspect the agricultural potential of their lands in the midst of a multi-year drought is one of the reasons behind the uptick in violence. The incident on Tuesday marks the fifteenth such case during the past two years only in Joy-e-Naw. Previously, a Hazara farmer was killed in August and more than 400 fruit-bearing trees were destroyed. According to reports, over 20 homes and three vehicles in the area have reportedly been set ablaze over the last two years.
Human rights violations such as extortion, land re-appropriation, and physical violence against the Hazaras are not new occurrences in Afghanistan. Afghan and international rights groups have consecutively raised alarm about the community’s vulnerable position in Afghanistan ruled by the Taliban. Richard Bennett the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Afghanistan has expressed his concerns about violence against Hazaras. Addressing the 54th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, September 11, in Geneva, Mr. Bennett said “I’ve received concerning reports from Hazara communities in Khas Uruzgan, where families have fled after attacks on their livelihoods in July.”
