RASC News Agency: Sources from the central prison in Herat province report that 30% of the inmates in the province are Hazaras who have been detained by Taliban members. A reliable source in Herat province, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told RASC News Agency on Thursday, April 25, that most of the Hazaras in Taliban prisons in the province are former security and defense personnel from the previous government who were identified and subsequently arrested by Taliban security forces.
The source added that, in addition to former military personnel from the previous government, the Taliban have shown no mercy to Hazara addicts, placing them in a designated block in the central prison in Herat province. The source did not specify the number of Hazara prisoners in the various blocks of Herat province but noted that these individuals receive less care compared to other inmates.
Meanwhile, sources from Herat in western Afghanistan confirm that the Afghan/Pashtun Taliban exhibit discriminatory behavior toward all ethnic groups in Afghanistan, particularly the Hazara people, amounting to ethnic and religious discrimination. A news source in the Jabrail area of Herat province, who wished to remain unnamed, told RASC News Agency that the behavior of Taliban members in different areas, especially in the Haji Abbas and Jabrail townships, has forced Hazara men to stay awake at night to protect their honor and dignity.
The source stated that Hazara-populated areas across Afghanistan face severe threats from Taliban members, with dozens or even hundreds of Hazaras and non-Hazaras being beaten, detained, tortured, and subsequently murdered daily. The source noted that many Hazaras have fled Afghanistan to neighboring countries to protect their lives. Despite this, Mukhtar Wahidi, an expert on Afghanistan affairs, told RASC News Agency that the Hazaras are a talented and prominent ethnic group in the country.
He added that the Taliban are aware of the potential of all Afghanistani ethnic groups, particularly the Hazaras, who, if they were to take political power one day, could effectively defend the rights and values of Persian-speaking Afghanistanis. According to Wahidi, the fear of Afghan/Pashtuns, especially the Taliban, is that they must not allow space for other ethnic groups, particularly the Hazaras, to succeed and advance.
Similarly, Farid Hakimi, a civil society activist in western Afghanistan, told RASC News Agency, “The Taliban tell the media that Afghanistan is a shared home for all Afghanistanis, but that claim is only superficial.” He explained that if Afghanistan were truly a home for all Afghanistanis, the turmoil facing Afghanistanis abroad would not be occurring. According to Hakimi, all Afghanistanis can live together harmoniously only if an inclusive government for the entire nation is established, ensuring consensus and acceptance across the board.
Taliban officials in Herat province have not commented on the situation. It’s worth noting that Herat province in western Afghanistan is one of the country’s most significant provinces, with Hazaras making up 15% of its population.
