Curtin Asylum Seekers hold protest at Hazara killings in Quetta – Neither Pakistan nor Afghanistan is safe for Hazaras

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MEDIA RELEASE
Refugee Action Coalition Sydney


CURTIN ASYLUM SEEKERS HOLD PROTEST AT HAZARA KILLINGS IN QUETTA.
NEITHER PAKISTAN NOR AFGHNAISTAN IS SAFE FOR HAZARAS

Yesterday (Thursday 21 September), at 3.30pm, more than 400 mostly Hazara asylum seekers staged a peaceful protest near the administration building inside Curtin detention centre.
According to a statement released by the Curtin Hazara asylum seekers, the hour-long demonstration was to let the immigration department know of the dangerous situation that face their families in Quetta, Pakistan.

Quetta has a large community of Hazaras who have fled persecution in Afghanistan. But Pakistan is mostly Sunni Muslim and the Hazaras, who are Shia Muslim, are increasingly the target of fundamentalist
killings in Quetta. Many of the Hazara asylum seekers families have been left living illegally in Quetta.

“We want immigration department to know how we feel and how much we worry [about our families’ situation].” the statement said.

The protest was held following news that on 20 September, over 29 Hazaras traveling on a bus near Quetta, were separated from other passengers and executed. It was the third such attack in a month.

A number of speeches at the Curtin protest told of the persecution of Hazara and Shia Mislims. The asylum seekers held banners saying, “Where is UN?”; Why UN do not hear our voice?; Stop killing of innocent Hazaras?; Is being Hazara is a crime?
At the end of the peaceful protest the asylum seekers returned to their compounds. But the anxiety remains.

On the same day as the mass killing of Hazaras in Quetta, the Australian government deported an Hazara man from Villawood detention centre to Pakistan.

“The man is not a citizen of Pakistan. And the immigration department ignored the very real dangers that confront the Hazaras in Quetta. The deported man’s son had been injured in a Taliban attack in May this
year,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.

“The Australian government has directly violated its commitments not to refoule asylum seekers. We are also calling on the government to terminate its Memorandum of Agreement with the Afghan government to
return Hazaras to Afghanistan?

“How can the Australian government possibly justify such an agreement, when the attacks on the Nato base and the killing of Burhanuddin Rabbani, the head of the Afghan Peace Council show that Kabul itself
is not safe?” asked Rintoul.

For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713

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2 comments

  1. noorzi

    Perhaps it is that time Australian goverment should considerd there human right how can they deport a man back to a country that Hazara killing is their main target. Dear brother and sister around the world its time we start supporting the Hazara nation. I think all Hazara are in real dengar from both parties the Taliban and and because of our ethnic minority. The Australian goverment must give permanent assylum to all those Hazara who lives in Quetta. I myself I’m a resident of united kindom the UK Goverment issued some legislation with regard immigration. But as you all aware that UK is a very small ireland and yet still would not send people bak to where they would seriously be killed. May lord God help as all.

  2. Another Hazara

    To whoever that is writing these reports on these reports and alike:

    Whoever is writing these reports keeps bringing Shia as the primary reason for Hazaras being killed. Are you stupid(Since after you)? Is this what you want to tell the rest of the world? That the problem of Afghanistan is about Shia and Sunni.

    It is more about ethnicity and being a Hazara. Why do they not kill their own pashtuns who are Shia and live in Kandahar where they have closes access to?
    And how does/did Iran (where it is filled with Shias) help the Hazara? Not only, Iran didn’t help and is very happy that Hazaras are in this situation. Everyone have their own self interest. Iran gets water, the essence to living free from the big rivers that flows from Hazaristan.

    I do not know when our people will truly wake up.

    Aside, from above: Keep up the demonstrations. Australians should know that tomorrow, they will be dealing with Hazaras and their land. If they want to have access to the natural resources, they would have to deal with the Hazaras and from now build good ties. This is not the situation currently where they are forced by the Pashtun government to make agreements which is humanly wrong.

    Let the people of Australia know the real problem and the real story so they can pressure their governments to act morally and should welcome more Hazaras and support their cause. Since they bring hard working people and add to the economy of Australia.