Systematic Persecution and Dispossession of Hazaras Under Taliban Rule

Since the Taliban’s return to power, conditions for Afghanistan’s minority groups have deteriorated at an alarming pace. The Hazara community, already subjected to decades of discrimination and targeted violence, now faces a tightening pattern of coercion that threatens its security, autonomy and long-term presence in the country. Over the past year, attacks, forced displacement, land confiscation and institutional exclusion have intensified, forming a broader framework of persecution that affects every aspect of daily life.

These escalations have unfolded alongside a worsening national crisis for women and girls. On 25 November, as the world marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, UN Women reported a significant rise in the number of Afghan women and girls at heightened risk. Their figures show an increase of 40 per cent, with 14.2 million now requiring urgent protection.[1] For Hazara women, the situation is even more severe. The combined impact of gender, ethnic identity and religious affiliation leaves them exposed to the most restrictive and abusive conditions under the Taliban’s system of gender-based segregation.

At the same time, the Taliban have intensified the use of public punishment as a tool of intimidation. On 2 December 2025, in Khost province, authorities forced a 13-year-old boy to carry out the execution of a man accused of killing one of his relatives. Thousands of people were brought to witness the killing.[2] The involvement of a child in the act reflects not only extreme disregard for human dignity but also the deliberate use of violence as a public display of power. Such incidents reinforce the climate of fear experienced by Afghan communities, including the Hazaras.

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Systematic Persecution and Dispossession of Hazaras Under Taliban Rule-151225.pdf

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