More than 1100 Hazaras have been killed over last one decade in Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan, by Al-Qaeda-cum-Taliban linked militant groups such as Lashkar-e-Jangvi (LeJ) and its affiliates under the very nose of the government and it’s law enforcement agencies.

The state of Pakistan; the elected government, law enforcement agencies and an otherwise hyperactive judiciary, has blatantly failed to protect the ethno-sectarian minority in Quetta. Inaction of the security forces against the terrorist outfits has resulted to a serious perception that they are complicit in the genocide of Hazaras in Balochistan. Such concerns have been raised by a number of human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International.

The acting Governor of Balochistan province, Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi, has confessed that “the terrorist attack on the Hazara community in Quetta is a failure of the intelligence and security forces”. However, we believe that terrorists groups such as Lashkar-e-Jangvi (LeJ) operate under the patronage of the country’s military establishment and it’s intelligence agencies which is evident from the fact, among others, that a handful of killers succeed to launch terror attacks on Hazaras repeatedly without being apprehended or even chased. We, therefore, stage a world-wide hunger strike unless our demands are met:

1: Declare a state of emergency regarding the Hazara state of affairs, as authorized by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
2: Apply diplomatic pressure on Pakistani government to immediately cease acts of discrimination against the Hazara and to stop supporting terrorist groups who commit violent acts against them.
3: Ask the Refugee Convention’s state parties to protect Hazara asylum seekers and grant them asylum.
4: Establish an international truth Commission to investigate crimes against the Hazara.
5: Open comprehensive cases concerning genocide and gross human rights violations in international courts such as the ICC.
6: Appeal to international media to investigate and report on activities against the Hazara, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

270 noted poets including Nobel, Pulitzer, continental and national literary prize winners as well as presidents of international poetry festivals, presidents of PEN clubs, and writers associations from 88 countries have signed an open letter to world leaders, declaring their solidarity with the Hazara people. For more than a century, the Hazara people of Afghanistan and Pakistan have been victims of systematic crimes such as genocide, slavery, sexual abuse, war crimes and discrimination.
The letter is addressed to The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, and President of the United States, Barack Obama, asking them to take steps to insure the security and safety of the Hazara people.

Hazara poet, Kamran Mir Hazar, who crafted the letter notes, “Article two of the Convention on Genocide describes the dire situation of the Hazaras, and the world must no longer ignore the ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Hazaras.”
In Afghanistan, even with thousands of international troops deployed, Hazaras are regularly attacked by Afghan Kuchis, backed by the Taliban and the Afghan government. Hazara roads are blocked by Taliban gunmen. Hazara cars are halted and its passengers murdered. In central Afghanistan, a huge population of Hazaras is marginalized, and is denied basic legal rights.

As a result, millions of Hazaras have fled Afghanistan, creating terrible and unnecessary refugee situations in countries like Turkey, Greece, Australia, and Indonesia. In Pakistan as recently as Thursday, January 10, 2013, more than one-hundred Hazaras were killed in an organized terrorist attack in Quetta, Pakistan.
Poets world-wide asks world leaders to declare of a state of emergency regarding the Hazara situation in Afghanistan; to pressure Afghan and Pakistani governments to stop discrimination and stop supporting terrorists groups; to grant asylum to Hazara asylum seekers; establish an international Truth Commission to investigate systematic crimes against Hazaras; to open cases concerning genocide and human rights violations in international courts such as the ICC; to protect Hazaras in Afghanistan with international troops. We appeal to international media to investigate and report on activities against Hazaras, in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Open Letter from Poets World-wide with signers is available in English, Spanish, Italian, Hazaragi/Dari, and Azeri languages on www.HazaraRights.com

==========================
For more information contact Kamran Mir Hazar at email: kamran@kamranmirhazar.com Skype: kamran.mir.hazar

After more than a century of systematic crimes such as genocide, slavery, sexual abuse, war crimes, and discrimination, being a Hazara still appears to be a crime in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As recently as Thursday, January 10, 2013, more than one-hundred Hazara were killed in an organized terrorist attack on the city of Quetta, Pakistan. In the past few years, more than a thousand Hazaras were killed in similar attacks in Pakistan alone.

Today, even in their homeland, Afghanistan, Hazaras are not safe. Every year, they are attacked by Afghan Kuchis who are backed by the Taliban and the Afghan government. Hazara roads are blocked by Taliban gunmen. Hazara cars are halted and its passengers are killed.

In the center of Afghanistan, where a huge population of Hazaras are marginalized, they do not have access to basic legal rights. They still suffer systematic discrimination and Taliban attacks. As a result, millions of Hazaras have fled to numerous countries as refugees or asylum seekers, frequently living in terrible conditions.

The Hazara indigenous people made up nearly 67 percent of the population of Afghanistan prior to the 19th century. In that century, they were subjected to genocide and enslavement twice. They were forced to flee most of their land, located in the south of modern Afghanistan. More than 60 percent of them were killed and thousands were sold as slaves.

Afghanistan’s entire 20th century history has been marked by killings of Hazaras and systematic discrimination against them. On February 10 and 11, 1993 in the Afshar area of Kabul, the Mujahadeen government, and its allies exterminated and left injured thousands of Hazara men, women and children. In August 1998, the Taliban killed more than ten thousand Hazaras in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Similar bloodbaths quickly spread to other parts of Afghanistan. Destroying Hazara history and making and promoting an inaccurate, demeaning history of their culture have been further strategies, in addition to violent crimes.

For example, in March 2001, the Taliban notoriously destroyed the ancient Buddha sculptures of Bamiyan which were principal symbols of Hazara history and culture, and one of the most popular masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity. Such is the history of two centuries of crimes against the Hazara, and from which they still suffer.

Therefore, we poets from around the world declare our solidarity with the Hazara people and ask you world leaders to take the following steps to properly insure the security and safety of the Hazara people and culture:

1: Declare a state of emergency regarding the Hazara state of affairs, as authorized by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

2: Apply diplomatic pressure on both the Afghan and Pakistani governments to immediately cease acts of discrimination against the Hazara and to stop supporting terrorist groups who commit violent acts against them.

3: Ask the Refugee Convention’s state parties to protect Hazara asylum seekers and grant them asylum.

4: Establish an international truth Commission to investigate crimes against the Hazara.

5: Open comprehensive cases concerning genocide and gross human rights violations in international courts such as the ICC.

6: Over 150,000 international troops are in Afghanistan. They must ensure the safety of the Hazaras before they leave Afghanistan.

7: Appeal to international media to investigate and report on activities against the Hazara, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Poets Around the World

Signatures with names, positions and countries:

• Fernando Rendón, Poet, editor and director of International Poetry Festival of Medellin (Colombia)
• Kamran Mir Hazar, Poet, journalist and webmaster (Afghanistan/Norway)
• Lello Voce, Poet (Italy)
• Gabriel Rosenstock, Poet (Éire/ Ireland)
• Irena Matijaševi?, Poet (Zagreb/ Croatia)
• Pitika Ntuli, Poet, writer and sculptor (South Africa)
• Dean Hapeta aka Te Kupu, Poet and musician ( Aotearoa, NZ)
• Dairena Ní Chinnéide, Poet (Ireland)
• Jack Hirschman, Poet (San Francisco in the United States)
• Agneta Falk, Poet (San Francisco in the United States)
• Janak Sapkota, Poet (Nepal)
• Boel Schenlaer, Poet (Sweden)
• Ershad Mazumder, Poet (Bangladesh)
• Alexander Gorsky, Poet, writer, journalist (Ukraine)
• William Masore, Poet (Kenya)
• K. Satchidanandan, Poet (India)
• Thór Stefánsson, Poet (Iceland)
• Hemant Divate, Poet, Editor, Publisher and Translator (Mumbai, India)
• Attila F. Balázs, Poet, editor, Publisher and Translator (Slovakia)
• AB-ART Publishing house (Bratislava, Slovakia)
• Enikoe Thiele, Poet, translator (Austria)
• Alireza Behnam, Poet and journalist (Iran)
• Mohammad Sharif Saiidi, Poet and journalist (Afghanistan/Sweden)
• Jüri Talvet, Poet (Estonia)
• Maggie Cleveland, Poet (Massachusetts, US)
• Julio Pavanetti, Poet, President of Liceo Poético de Benidorm (Uruguay/Spain)
• Angelina Llongueras, Poet, Barcelona (nowadays a member of the Revolutionary Poets Brigade in San Francisco, US)
• Amir Or, Poet and editor (Israel)
• Fahredin Shehu, Poet and Writer(Prishtina, Kosovo)
• Andrea Garbin, Poet (Mantova, Italy)
• Jean-Claude Awono, Teacher, editor and President of La Ronde des Poètes, Cameroon and Festival international de Poésie des Sept Collines de Yaoundé, Festi7 (Cameroun)
• George Grigore, Poet (Bucharest, Romania)
• Neeli Cherkovski, Poet (USA)
• J. K. Ihalainen, Poet and publisher (Finland)
• Hooman Azizi, Poet (Iran)
• Maryam Hooleh, Poet (Iran)
• Philip Hammial, Poet and sculptor (Australia)
• Rati Saxena- Poet, kritya international poetry festival (India)
• Bina Sarkar Ellias, Poet, editor, designer and publisher (Bombay/India)
• Mahmoud Abuhashhash , Poet (Palestine)
• Julia Kissina , Writer (Germany/Russia)
• Zelma White, Poet (Montserrat, B.W.I)
• Merlie Alunan, Poet, Essayist, Teacher of Literature (Philippines)
• Stanka Hrastelj, Poet and writer (Slovenia)
• Zingonia Zingone Poet (Italy)
• Erling Kittelsen, Poet (Norway)
• Tânia Tomé, Singer, Composer, Poet and Economist (Mozambique)
• Rashid Boudjedra, Poet, novelist, playwright and critic (Algeria)
• Ersi Sotiropoulos, Poet and novelist (Greece)
• Mohammad Azizi, Poet and journalist (Afghanistan)
• Emad Fouad, Poet and journalist (Egypt/ Belgium)
• Dr.Arif Ali Albayrak, Poet, Cartoonist, Painter and Music Composer (Cyprus/Turkey)
• Arturo Vázquez Sánchez, Poet (México)
• José Manuel Solá Gómez, Poet, Writer (Puerto Rico)
• Annabel Villar, Poet (Uruguay/Spain)
• Stephanos Stephanides, Poet, professor of literature (Cyprus)
• Peter Völker,Poet (Germany)
• José Francisco Mejía Ramírez, Poet and Writer (Honduras)
• Reza Heyrani, Poet (Iran)
• Hadi Hazara, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Nelly Elías de Benavente, Poet, Delegada de IALAYA – Instituto del libro Argentino y Americano (Argentina)
• Rahela Yar, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Werewere-Liking Gnepo, Poet and playwright and performer (Ivory Coast)
• Marjorie Evasco, Poet and Teacher of Literature (Philippines)
• Robert Max Steenkist, Poet, photographer and entrepeneur (Netherland/ Colombia)
• Joseph Mwantuali, Poet (Clinton, New York, USA)
• François Szabo, Poet (France)
• Gaston Bellemare D.h.c., C.M., O.Q. Président Festival International de la Poésie/ Fédération des festivals internationaux de poésie (Québec, Canada)
• Santiago B. Villafania, Poet (Philippines)
• Jacobo Rauskin, Poet (Asunción, Paraguay)
• Gertrude Fester, Poet and writer (South Africa)
• Howard Fergus, Poet (Montserrat West Indies)
• Prof.Dr.Sc. Ivan Djeparoski, Poet and philosopher (Skopje, R. Macedonia)
• Nancy Huston, Novelist and essayist (Canada)
• Elfriede Jelinek, Writer (Austria)
• Tozan Alkan, Poet and translator (Istanbul/Turkey)
• Euphrase Kezilahabi, Poet and novelist (Tanzania)
• Fernando Sabido Sánchez, Poet (Spain)
• Elyas Alavi, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Parwiz Kawa, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Dr.Homaira Nakhat Dastgirzada, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Dawood Hakimi, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Julieta Valero, Poet (Spain)
• Hatto Fischer, Philosopher, Poet und Co-ordinator of Poiein kai Prattein (Germany)
• Winston Morales Chavarro, Poet (Colombia)
• Al Hunter, Poet(Anishinaabe Nation, Canada)
• Siki Dlanga, Writer and poet (South Africa)
• Carey Lenehan, Poet and Writer for Peace (London, UK)
• Ernesto Carrión Poeta (Ecuador)
• Rira Abbasi, Poet, writer and director of International peace poetry festival (Iran)
• Mindy Zhang, Poet and translator (China-USA)
• Haroon Rahoon, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Samay Hamed, Poet (Afghanistan)
• S.Asrar Hamed Muqtader “Vesta”,Poet and Reporter (Afghanestan, presently Refugee in Turkey)
• Raihan Yousef ,Poet and Reporter (Afghanestan, presently Refugee in Turkey)
• Akwasi Aidoo, Poet (USA)
• Robin Ngangom, Poet, translator, teacher (India)
• Rafael Patiño Góez, Poet and translator (Colombia)
• Sonja Harter, Poet (Vienna, Austria)
• Parvaneh Torkamani, Poet and Social Worker (United States of America)
• Fathieh Saudi, Poet (Jordan/UK)
• Bengt Bertg, Poet and publisher (Sweden)
• Sigurdur Pálsson, poet, (Iceland)
• Tamer Öncül, Poet (Nicosia/Cyprus)
• Partaw Naderi, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Zeki Ali, Poet (Cyprus)
• Leopoldo Castilla, Poeta (Argentina)
• Rachel Tzvia Back, Poet (Israel)
• Michael Augustin, Poet & Festival Director (Germany)
• Mildred K Barya, Poet (Uganda)
• Nicole Cage, Poet (Martinique)
• Hafizullah Shariati, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Abotalib Mozaffari, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Saburullah Siasang, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Nawzar Ilyas, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Sam Hamill, Poet (USA)
• Galvarino Orellana, Poet, writer and Secretary General of “Frente Cultural Bolivariano Internacional” (Chile)
• Regina Dyck, Festival Director (Bremen, Germany)
• David Huerta, Poet (Mexico)
• Veronica Murguia, novelist (Mexico)
• Gahston Saint-Fleur,Poet, Writter and Executive Director of Foundation PROCULTURA/PROKILTI (Haiti)
• Miguel Aníbal Perdomo, Poet (Dominican Republic)
• Amiri Baraka, Poet (USA)
• Amina Baraka, Poet (USA)
• Charl-Pierre Naude, Poet (South Africa)
• Dunya Mikhail, Poet (Iraq)
• Bei Dao, Poet (China)
• Agus R. Sarjono, Poet & Editor in Chief Journal of Criticism (Indonesia)
• Nuno Júdice, Poet (Portugal)
• Birgitta Jonsdottir, Poetician, Member of the Icelandic Parliament for the Movement & chairperson of the International Modern Media Institution (Iceland)
• Reza Baraheni, Novelist, poet, critic, and political activist (Iran)
• Peter Curman, Poet (Sweden)
• Lyerka Bonanno, Poeta (Venezuela)
• Grace R. Monte de Ramos, Poet (Philippines)
• Geoffrey Philp, Poet, novelist, and playwright (Jamaica, West Indies)
• BINYOU-BI-HOMB Marius Yannick, Poet (Cameroon)
• Noria Adel, Poet, writer and visual artist (Algiers, Algeria)
• Shakor Nazari, Poet, Editor, Head of Afghanistan Literature House In Kabul and Member of Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) (Afghanistan)
• Tsead Bruinja, Poet (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
• Bernard Noël, Poet (France)
• Lic. Gerardo Paz Delgado, Poet, Secretario Nacional por Uruguay del Movimiento Internacional Poetas del Mundo. (Uruguay)
• Christian Salmon, essayist and ex director of the International Parliament of Writers, (France)
• Mark Lipman, Poet (USA)
• Chirag Bangdel, Poet, artist and writer (Nepal)
• Zolani Mkiva, Poet (South Africa)
• Elena Armenescu, Poet (Romania)
• D.M. Reyes, Poet and Literature Teacher (Philippines)
• Tom Egeland, Author and critic (Norway)
• Hildebrando Pérez Grande, Poet, Premio de Poesía Casa de las Américas (Peru)
• Rodolfo Dada, Poet (Costa Rica)
• Jean Portante, Poet, novelist (Luxembourg/France)
• Gonzalo Márquez Cristo, Poeta (Colombia)
• Antonio Correa Losada, Poeta (Colombia)
• Amparo Osorio, Poeta (Colombia)
• Héctor Rosales, Poet (Uruguay/España)
• Anthony L. Tan, Poet, fictionist, essayist, and teacher of literature (Philippines)
• Myriam Montoya, Poet (Colombia/ France)
• Jim Byron, musician (USA)
• Carlos Piera, Writer (Spain)
• Camila Charry Noriega, Poet (Colombia)
• Harold Trujillo Torres, Caricaturista de opinión periódico El Espectador (Colombia)
• Lucia Ortiz Corredor, Poet (Colombia)
• Julio César Goyes Narváez, Poet (Colombia)
• Julio César Goyes Narváez, Poet/ IECO-Instituto de Estudios en Comunicación y Cultura/ Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Colombia)
• Alonso Sáenz M., Promotor de Lectura (Colombia)
• Carmen Calatayud, Poet and nonfiction writer (USA)
• Eduardo Emilio Esparza, Artista Plastico (Colombia)
• Canéla A. Jaramillo, Poet, Author, Editor (United States)
• Claribel Alegría, Poet, essayist, novelist, and journalist (Nicaragua)
• Jill Schoolman, Publisher (USA)
• Marco Antonio Campos, Poet (Mexico)
• Marion Bethel, Poet (Bahamas)
• Eleonora Parachini, Artista, (Colombia)
• Juan Carlos Mestre, Poet and writer (Spain)
• Ostap Nožak, writer and translator (Ukraine)
• Stephane Chaumet, Poet (France)
• Lic. Gerardo Paz Delgado, Poet, Secretario Nacional por Uruguay del Movimiento Internacional Poetas del Mundo. (Uruguay)
• Julian Hector Gutierrez, Poet and writer (Colombia)
• Francisco Sánchez Jiménez, Writer (Colombia)
• Fredy Yezzed, Writer (Colombia/ Argentina)
• Eusebio Sánchez Clavijo, Writer (Colombia)
• Jose Yezid Morales, Poet and Painter (Colombia)
• Helena Iriarte, Novelista y profesora universitaria de literatura (Colombia)
• Paul Disnrad, Poet (Colombia/ Serbia)
• Paul Dutton, Poet, Fiction Writer, Essayist and Musician (Canada)
• Coral Bracho, Poeta (México)
• Fanny Moreno Ospina, poeta (colombiana)
• Martha Ennix, Artista plástica (colombiana)
• Víctor López Rache Poeta y ensayista (Colombia)
• María LeMarie, Writer and painter (Colombia)
• Bassem Al Meraiby, Poet (Iraq- Sweden)
• Manuel Pachón, Poeta y Maestro (Colombiano)
• Maruja Vieira, Poet and journalist (Colombia)
• Juan Carlos Acevedo Ramos, Poet (Colombia)
• Roberta J. Hill, poet and writer, (Oneida) (Madison, Wisconsin in the U. S.)
• Dieudonné Ewomsan, Poet (Togo)
• Carlos Fajardo Fajardo, Poet (Colombia)
• Qassim Haddad, Poet (Bahrain)
• Neeli Cherkovski, Poet (USA)
• Fabio Martinez, Escritor (Colombia)
• Morela Maneiro, Poet (Venezuela)
• Sayed Hegab, Poet (Egypt)
• Zoran Anchevski, poet, translator, professor of literature (Macedonia)
• Liv Lundberg, Poet, Writer, Professor (Norway)
• Pia Tafdrup, Poet and Writer (Denmark)
• Micere Githae Mugo , Poet, Playwright, Scholar and Activist (Kenya)
• Angye Gaona, Poeta (Colombia)
• Allison Hedge Coke, Poet and writer (US)
• Matthew Shenoda, Poet (USA/Egypt)
• Chiqui Vicioso, Poet (Dominican Republic)
• Aref Pejman, Poet, Author, and Associate Professor (Afghanistan)
• Fredy Chikangana, Poeta y Escritor Quechua Yanakuna Mitmak (Colombia)
• Ramiz Rovshan, Poet and writer (Azerbaijan)
• Liam Ó Muirthile, Poet (Ireland)
• Nguyen Quang Thieu, Poet (Vietnam)
• Andrei Khadanovich, poet (Belarus)
• Alberto Nessi, poeta e scrittore (Switzerland)
• Hermes Vargas. Poeta (Spain)
• Chris Abani, Poet and writer (Nigeria/USA)
• Abdourahman WABERI, Poet (Djibouti)
• Beppe Costa, poet, novelist and publisher (Italy)
• Stefania Battistella, Poet (Italy)
• Senem Gökel, Poet, researcher, instructor (Cyprus)
• Ingrid Wickström, Poet and translater (Sweden)
• Priya Sarukkai Chabria, Poet, writer and translator (India)
• Homero Aridjis, Poet and novelist, President Emeritus of PEN International (Mexico)
• Gemino H. Abad, Poet, professor emeritus of literature and creative writing (Philippines)
• Vasyl Makhno, Poet (Ukraine/USA)
• Vincent O’Sullivan, Poet (New Zealand)
• Joy Harjo, Poet and musician (Mvskoke Nation, USA)
• Gioconda Belli, Poet and novelist (Nicaragua)
• Francisco de Asís Fernández, Poet and President of the International Poetry Festival, Nicaragua (Nicaragua)
• Gloria Gabuardi, Poet (Nicaragua)
• Alexandra Büchler, Director of Literature Across Frontiers (Czech Republic/UK)
• Nora Atalla, poète, romancière et nouvelliste (Québec, Canada)
• Moya Cannon, Poet (Irland)
• Michèle Blanchet, poète de Québec (Canada)
• Nyein Way, Poet, Performance artist and educator (Myanmar)
• Max.N.RIPPON poet (Marie-Galante, Guadeloupe)
• Omar Pérez, Poet, writer and translator (Cuba)
• Jared Angira, Poet (Kenya)
• Rashidah Ismaili, Poet (Benin)
• Raquel Chalfi, Poet and writer (Israel)
• Blanca Andreu, Poet (Spain)
• Michaël Glück, Poet (France)
• Stefaan van den Bremt, Poet and Honorary chairman of PEN FLANDERS (Flanders, Belgium)
• Jan Owen, Writer (Australia)
• Vyacheslav Kupriyanov, Poet (Russia)
• Geneviève Morin, Poet (Québec, Canada)
• Yiorgos Chouliaras, Poet (Greece)
• Quito Nicolaas, Writer/Poet (The Netherlands)
• Simón Zavala Guzmán, Poeta y ensayista (Ecuador)
• Timo Berger, Poet and publisher (Germany)
• Ceaití Ní Bheildiúin, Poet (Ireland)
• Jean Clarence Lambert, Poet, translator, essayist and art critic (France)
• Antonio Preciado, Poeta (ecuatoriano)
• Manal Al-Sheikh, Poet and writer (Iraq/ Norway)
• Yasin Khamosh, Poet and journalist (Afghanistan)
• Valeriu Stancu, Poet, novelist and translator (Romania)
• Aju Mukhopadhyay, Poet, essayist, feature and fiction writer (India)
• Unpublished poets:
• Mir Hussain Mahdavi, Exiled freelance writer and poet (Afghanistan)
• Leila Malekmohammadi, Poet and journalist (Iran/ Norway)
• Sultan Haidari, Journalist and poet (Afghanistan)
• Ali Hazara, Poet and movie maker (Afghanistan)
• Hossein Pooya, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Sakhi dad Hatef, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Maryam Turkmani, Poet (Afghanistan)
• Razi Mohebi, Poet and movie maker (Afghanistan)
• Fereshta Ziai, Poet, pedagog and youth mentor (Afghanistan/Sweden)
• Laila Haidari, Poet and director of Life is Beautiful Organization (Afghanistan)

PS: 
1: Copy to International Media
2: For more information contact Kamran Mir Hazar at email:
kamran@kamranmirhazar.com
Skype: kamran.mmir.hazar
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KamranPoetry

Countries: Colombia, Norway, Ireland, Ireland, Croatia, South Africa, NZ, United States, Nepal, Sweden, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Kenya, India, Slovakia, Austria, Iran, Sweden, Estonia, Spain, Uruguay, Israel, Kosovo, Cameroun, Romania, Finland, Australia, Palestine, Russia, Germany, B.W.I, Philippines, Mozambique, Algeria, Greece, Afghanistan, Belgium, Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus, México, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Argentina, Ivory Coast, France, Canada, Paraguay, West Indies, Macedonia, Tanzania, UK, Ecuador, China, Uganda, Martinique, Chile, Mexico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Iraq, Indonesia, Portugal, Iceland, The Netherlands, Peru, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Bahamas, Ukraine, Argentina, Serbia, Togo, Bahrain, Venezuela, Macedonia, Denmark, Kenya, Dominican Republic, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Switzerland, Nigeria, Djibouti, Czech Republic, Myanmar and Cuba.

About 100 Pakistanis, mostly Hazara Shias, were killed last week after two bomb attacks on a billiard club in the city of Quetta. It was one incident in a string of violent attacks on the minority group.

Demonstrator Bani Turkmani said Hazaras are being singled out and killed because they are a visible ethnic group, though Shia Muslims at large have also been targeted.

“In Pakistan, the Hazara people have been under target killing. As soon as they see a person that looks like Chinese looking or Asian looking, they’re being killed,” said Turkmani, who is a Muslim Hazara.

Turkmani’s uncle owns a shop in Quetta that was targeted in one of the attacks. She said most of the protestors in Churchill Square Sunday have recently lost a friend or family member to a violent attack targeting Hazara Shias.

“The systematic genocide of the Hazaras occurring in Pakistan has left over 1,000, including women and children, dead and more than 2,000 wounded,” she said, adding many Hazara students and professors in Pakistan have stopped attending school in fear of being killed.

She is calling on the U.N. and the international community to protect the Hazara people, and on the Pakistani government to prosecute the terrorists carrying out the attacks.

“I’m so fortunate to have this peaceful life. I’m living a beautiful life in this beautiful country,” she said. “I’d like everyone to have this.”

Protestors in Quetta have been blocking roads with the coffins of their relatives who were killed in recent explosions.

Many of the attacks have been carried out by terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi that are affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Demonstrator Sabira Devjee, who identifies as Muslim, called on people of all faith groups to band together and condemn the killing of innocent people.

“We’re here to condemn all genocide. We’re all human beings,” she said.

“As people, we need to come together. It does not matter what faith group you belong to.”

Similar protests have been held across North America.

Source and copyright