The family of journalist Yama Siavash, assassinated in Kabul, has filed a lawsuit, calling on Harvard University to revoke the seat of Ajmal Ahmadi, the former director of Afghanistan’s central bank.
Baktash Siavash, Yama Siavash’s brother, filed the lawsuit under the name of “Justice for Yama Siavash” on Friday.
The petition called on the public to collect 2,500 signatures to remove Ajmal Ahmadi from Harvard University and refer him to court.
To date, more than 1,700 people have signed a petition in response to the call.
The family, however, says that the number of signatures is set to increase to 10,000.
According to Siavash’s family, “Harvard University should not provide sanctions for criminals.”
Siavash’s family members state that the appointment of Ajmal Ahmadi as a senior faculty member of Harvard University is in clear contradiction with the university’s values for promoting global justice.
The petition states that Ajmal Ahmadi, as the head of the Central Bank, has obstructed justice by ordering the destruction of evidence of the assassination of Yama Siavash.
Refusal to share CCTV images and GPS data is stated as a barrier to Yama’s assassination.
It has also been pointed out that Ajmal Ahmadi has denied journalists access to information while investigating the murder of Yama Siavash.
According to the Siavash family, Harvard University should refrain from positioning Ajmal Ahmadi as an outright human rights violator that would deprive him of legal immunity.
Siavash’s family has cited the case of Yama Siavash’s assassination to the International Criminal Court and the United Nations, highlighting the “crimes” of Ajmal Ahmadi.
Ajmal Ahmadi was recently elected a prominent member of Harvard University after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.
He had previously obtained two of his master’s degrees from this university.
He is the son-in-law of Ashraf Ghani’s brother. He has reportedly been accused of coercion, illegal recruitment and dismissal, and improper use of central bank resources.
He also suffers from an abnormal personality disorder.
The Taliban had previously frozen 6.5 million afghanis in his bank account in Afghanistan.
Ahmadi fled the country after the fall of Kabul. He first went to the United Arab Emirates and then to the United States to continue his life.