The survivors and families of victims of the girls’ school bombing in Dasht-e-Barchi in Kabul last Sunday have called on the Afghan government and the international community to recognize the attack as an act of genocide.

Addressing a press conference Sunday, they stated that a specific ethnicity was targeted in the attack.

According to the families, at least 95 people - mostly schoolgirls - were killed and more than 200 others wounded in last week’s deadly bombing.
The families stated that the attack was a violation of human values and human rights.

Rajab Ali, who lost two of his relatives stated: This brutality must be stopped. Such attacks must be prevented so that people can pursue education peacefully.

Mina is another Afghan who lost a sister in the bombing, she stated: I don’t want to witness such a terrible attack again.

Meanwhile, students of Sayeed-ul-Shuhada - who are still dealing with severe mental anguish following the attack - stated that they will not give up and they will firmly pursue their education.

I promise to continue this path (education) stronger than ever and I will definitely make Afghanistan one day, Shirin Rezae, a student at the school said.

I hope that the day will come when we will be capable of being candidates for the Presidency, she added.

Masooma Yaqubi, another student stated: We call on the international community, the United Nationals, and human rights organizations to investigate this brutal attack and to identify the perpetrators through a fact-finding commission.

This comes after the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) last week urged the government to grant special protection to Hazaras and the community in Dasht-e-Barchi.

The AIHRC said in a statement that it was the government’s duty to protect the Hazara community against crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, or genocide.

The AIHRC stated that government has an obligation to protect the population at risk of war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing or genocide.

The Afghan government has an obligation under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law to protect the population at risk of war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing or genocide and international law obliges the government to take measures to end and prevent genocide and war crimes, crimes against humanity and persecution on the basis of ethnicity and gender, the statement read.

In October 2020, just over six months ago, more than 40 students died in an attack on Kawsar Danish tutoring center. In May 2020, almost a year ago 11 mothers were murdered with their unborn babies, two boys were, and an Afghan midwife was killed, with 5 mothers injured; this is femicide and infanticide, the statement highlighted.

The AIHRC stressed that the Afghan government should fulfill its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which includes acknowledging massacres targeting Hazaras.

The Afghan government should communicate immediately a human rights-based protection plan for Dasht-e-Barchi and West Kabul. This should include plans for collective reparations, the organization said.