New Lines Report: Taliban Genocide Against Afghan Hazaras
- New Lines Institute
- 13 hours ago
- 2 min read
A newly released investigative legal and archival analysis from the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, presents compelling evidence of genocide against Afghanistan’s Hazara community.
The report, “The Hazara Genocide: An Examination of Breaches of the Genocide Convention in Afghanistan”, concludes that systematic killings, targeted bombings, sexual violence, and mass displacement carried out against Hazaras since the Taliban’s return to power meet the legal definition of genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Key findings include:
At least 473 Hazaras killed and 681 wounded in 61 documented attacks over the past five years.
Evidence of coordinated bombings, shootings, executions, and other atrocities aimed specifically at Hazara communities.
Survivor testimony and historical documentation highlighting both ongoing and long-term persecution.
The analysis—prepared with contributions from more than a dozen leading legal experts—has already drawn significant attention from policymakers and global leaders. Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack emphasized that the report “offers a critical opportunity to lay the groundwork for justice, accountability, and a stable peace in Afghanistan,” while Lord David Alton, Chair of the UK Joint House of Lords and House of Commons Committee on Human Rights, described it as “a clarion call for justice that the international community cannot ignore.”
This report builds on New Lines’ track record of rigorous genocide investigations—including those on the Uyghurs, Tigrayans, and Ukrainians—that have informed genocide determinations and accountability measures by governments and parliaments worldwide.
This work is spearheaded by Susanna Kelley, Head of the Mass Atrocities and International Law portfolio at New Lines Institute. Please reach out to this email (skelley@newlinesinstitute.org) for quotes or comments.
We hope your organization reviews the report and that its findings might inform your work on accountability, advocacy, and survivor support.
The full report is available here:
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you would like to discuss the findings further or explore opportunities for collaboration in ensuring recognition and justice for the Hazara people.
Tristan E. Miller
Mass Atrocities and International Law Portfolio
New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy
