A commemoration marking the September 25 anniversary of the genocide of Hazaras under Afghanistan’s former king, Abdur Rahman Khan, was held with the participation of several members of parliament and officials from Spain’s Catalonia region.
The event was organized by Hazara community representatives and activists at the Albarda Cultural Center in Catalonia.
Sara Javerita Guener, vice-chair of the Socialists and Allies for Progress parliamentary group, said the Socialist Party would pursue recognition of the Hazara genocide through its representatives in the Parliament of Catalonia, the European Parliament, and Spain’s Congress of Deputies.
Representatives of the Hazara community from Spain and several other European countries held separate meetings with Raquel Sans Guerra, first vice-president of the Parliament of Catalonia, and Juli Fernández Olivares, a representative of the Republican Left of Catalonia group. They discussed the historical and current situation of Hazaras, ethnic and religious discrimination, the situation of women and girls, attacks on civilians, education, land seizures, and the forced displacement of Hazaras.
The representatives called for the situation of Hazaras in Afghanistan to be considered within the context of a long history of violence, discrimination, and exclusion. They also urged recognition of the Hazara genocide and called on the international community to take steps to prevent attacks against Hazaras.
The first vice-president of the Parliament of Catalonia expressed concern over the human rights situation and the treatment of Hazaras in Afghanistan. She said she would review and pursue the community’s demands within the parliament’s remit.
She also spoke about efforts to raise the issue of Hazaras at the European level and to address the Hazara genocide there, adding that details of these measures would become clear as follow-up work progressed.
Hazara activists mark September 25 each year as the anniversary of the genocide of Hazaras under Afghanistan’s former king, Abdur Rahman Khan.
