Concerns of Shia and Hazara Activists Regarding Exclusion from the Power Structure, Targeted Arrests, Forced Evictions, and Closure of Religious and Educational Centers
Her Excellency Ms. Otunbayeva,
Greetings and respect,
We, a group of Shia and Hazara activists of Afghanistan, on the occasion of the beginning of your mission, present our concerns regarding the situation of our community to Your Excellency.
First: Exclusion from the Power Structure
The presence of Shias and Hazaras in the power structure has been severely limited. In Bamyan, the Hazara director of public health was dismissed and replaced by a member of the Taliban. This was the second dismissal in the past year, and civil activists called it “the policy of gradual exclusion of Shia professionals.” We emphasize that the genuine participation of Shias and Hazaras in the power structure is a condition for the sustainable stability of Afghanistan.
Second: Arrest of Activists and Pressure on Institutions
In Sunbula 1405, Mohammad Ali Akhlaghi, head of the “Supreme Commission of Shias of Afghanistan,” and four other members were arrested in the building of the Ministry of Justice. Also, Sayed Sufi Gardizi, head of the public relations office of Hazara and Shia elders, was arrested at a meeting about the developments of the Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary. The UN Special Rapporteur has confirmed that those arrested belonging to ethnic and religious minorities, especially Hazaras and Shias, experience more mistreatment.
Third: Forced Eviction and Land Seizure
Dozens of civil institutions, in an open letter dated 25 Mizan addressed to Your Excellency, called for a halt to forced evictions in the Omid Sabz settlement. Similar reports of pressure and forced displacement exist in Nawabad Ghazni and Senatorium Kabul. The UN Special Rapporteur has also reported on the forced displacement of Hazaras and the necessity of an independent investigation.
Fourth: The Musalla and the Khatam al-Anbiya Complex
On 30 Sunbula 1405, forces of the Taliban Ministry of Justice besieged the Khatam al-Anbiya cultural and religious complex and the Musalla in Dasht-e Barchi, west of Kabul. According to local sources, the Taliban issued an order to evacuate the Khatam al-Anbiya religious school, the Musalla, the Khatam al-Anbiya complex, and the mosque of this complex, and sealed and locked the gate of the mosque. The Musalla has been one of the important centers of popular and civil gatherings of Shias in west Kabul. A UNAMA report has also confirmed that among the closed institutions, mosques and educational centers associated with Shias were included.
Fifth: Schools, Universities, and Media
The Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary in Kabul was evacuated, and the activities of Ibn Sina University were suspended. Tamadon TV and the Afghan Voice Agency (Ava) were blocked. These measures have severely narrowed the space for religious, educational, and media activities of the Shia community.
Requests
It is humbly requested:
First, that UNAMA independently verify the exclusion of Shias and Hazaras from the power structure and include it in its periodic reports to the Security Council.
Second, that the arrest of Shia activists, the Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary, the forced eviction in the Omid Sabz settlements, Nawabad Ghazni, and Senatorium, and the evacuation of the Musalla, the Khatam al-Anbiya complex, Rah-e Farda TV, Tamadon, and Afghan Voice (Ava) be immediately addressed, and that the escalation of tension be prevented.
Third, that an independent investigative mechanism be supported to document forced displacement and the seizure of land and religious places in Afghanistan.
With the presentation of utmost respects,
A group of Shia and Hazara activists of Afghanistan
October 2026
