Representatives and activists from the Hazara community in Spain and several European countries, while holding a commemorative ceremony marking the anniversary of the Hazara genocide, called for the recognition of this event and international attention to the situation of Hazaras in Afghanistan.
The ceremony was held on Friday, September 25, at the Albarda Cultural Centre in Barcelona by representatives and activists from the Hazara community.
Hazara activists at the gathering stressed that the issue of Hazaras should not be limited to isolated and individual incidents, but should be examined within the framework of a long historical process of violence, discrimination and deprivation.
They also discussed the situation of Hazara women and girls and called for attention to ethnic, religious and gender-based discrimination, support for the right to education, and investigation of cases of violence, land confiscation and forced displacement.
Alongside the ceremony, representatives of the Hazara community met with Raquel Sans Guerra, First Vice-President of the Parliament of Catalonia, and Juli Fernández Olivares, a representative of the Republican Left of Catalonia, and discussed the situation of Hazaras in Afghanistan.
During the meetings, Hazara activists called for the recognition of the Hazara genocide and international attention to the situation of the community.
Raquel Sans Guerra, First Vice-President of the Parliament of Catalonia, expressed concern over the human rights situation in Afghanistan and said that the situation of women and girls and the Hazara community was a matter of concern to her and the Parliament of Catalonia.
She said the Taliban government does not respect human rights and is illegitimate. Sans Guerra added that she would share the demands of the Hazara community delegation with various parliamentary groups and would work to pursue these demands within the powers of the parliament.
During the meeting, emphasis was placed on following up on the Parliament of Catalonia’s declaration concerning Hazaras and creating opportunities for the voices of the community to be heard in political institutions.
Juli Fernández Olivares, a member of the Parliament of Catalonia, said he would raise the issue of Hazaras with other political parties and parliamentary groups.
A proposal was also made to hold a public session on the genocide and situation of Hazaras and to create opportunities for representatives of the community to appear before the Congress of Deputies of Spain and the European Parliament.
Sara Jaurrieta Guarner, Vice-President of the Socialist and Allies for Progress parliamentary group, also said that the Socialist Party would pursue recognition of the Hazara genocide through its representatives in the Parliament of Catalonia, the European Parliament and the Spanish Congress.
Richard Sánchez Jiménez, a Barcelona municipal official, also stressed the municipality’s support for the Hazara community.
During the ceremony, a proposal was made to designate September 25 as Hazara Genocide Remembrance Day and May 19 as Hazara Culture Day in Barcelona’s municipal calendar.
