Civil groups call for halt to land seizures and forced evictions in Omid Sabz township

Civil society organisations and human rights defenders have sent an open letter to the United Nations, calling for action to stop the Taliban administration’s land seizures and forced eviction of residents in Omid Sabz township.

The letter says Taliban pressure on residents, mainly Shiite Hazaras, has posed a serious threat to the livelihoods, health and security of nearly 80,000 people from about 11,500 families in the area.

Members of civil society have strongly condemned these Taliban actions in Omid Sabz township and other parts of Afghanistan and have called for their immediate cessation. They have also urged the United Nations to examine the pattern of harassment of Hazaras by the Taliban in the next Human Rights Council report.

The signatories stressed the need to document and preserve records related to forced displacement and land seizures by the Afghanistan Independent Mechanism of Investigation, so that those responsible for the human rights violations can be held accountable and further follow-up can be carried out.