Side Event · 63rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council

The Persecution of Hazaras and Women in Afghanistan

Forced Displacement, Arbitrary Detention & the Pursuit of Accountability

Tuesday, 8 September 202614:00–15:00 CETRoom XI, Palais des Nations, Geneva

During the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, we will convene a side event on the human rights situation of the Hazaras and women and girls in Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the Hazara community has faced an intensified and systematic pattern of persecution, reinforcing its position as one of the most vulnerable and marginalised communities in Afghanistan. The Taliban’s ethno-religious-centric policies and gender-based oppression, reinforced by pervasive impunity, have institutionalised the exclusion and marginalisation of Hazaras and other minorities, laying the groundwork for escalating violence, persecution, and atrocity crimes.

Women and girls continue to face an unprecedented system of institutionalised gender-based discrimination, oppression and persecution. In addition to bans on education, employment, freedom of movement, and participation in public life, there has been a marked increase in the arbitrary arrest, detention and forced disappearance of women and girls across the country.

Join us in Geneva on 8 September, 2:00–3:00 PM, as we bring together survivor testimonies, report findings on arbitrary detentions, and legal perspectives to discuss the systematic violations and pathways towards accountability.

Organised by

FORUM-ASIA, Accountability Watch Afghanistan, Minority Rights Group, OMCT, BOLAQ, FIDH and the International Commission of Jurists — supported by the European Union and the Permanent Mission of Finland in Geneva.

Event poster: The Persecution of Hazaras and Women in Afghanistan — HRC63 side event, Tuesday 8 September 2026, 14:00–15:00 CET, Room XI, Palais des Nations, with speakers Richard Bennett, Homira M. Rezai, Hayley N. Evans, Rahil Talash, Nargis Hasani and moderator Ahmed Adam