Minorities | A global campaign has launched an online petition urging the UN and governments to act now to protect Hazaras in Afghanistan

ACW | October 21, 2026 — The "Global Campaign Headquarters to Stop the Hazara Genocide" has launched an online petition to prevent the forced displacement of Hazaras in Afghanistan, Etilaatroz daily reported on Wednesday.

According to Etilaatroz and Shafaqna Afghanistan, the petition calls on the United Nations, governments and parliaments not to "wait for the end of lengthy legal investigations" before acting to protect lives. The reports do not say exactly when the petition was launched or how many people have signed it.

The petition demands an end to violence against Hazaras, a halt to forced displacement, land seizures and dispossession, and an independent mechanism for fact-finding and documentation. Campaigners also call for perpetrators to be held accountable through national and international courts, and for special support for Hazara women and girls.

Shafaqna Afghanistan reported that the campaign cites the forced displacement of families in Daikundi and Bamyan, and the declaration of several Hazara-majority settlements in Kabul, Ghazni, Herat and Balkh as state property. The Taliban have not responded to the petition.

According to Etilaatroz, East Staffordshire Borough Council in the UK, the City of Greater Dandenong in Australia and the New South Wales Legislative Council have recognised the Hazara genocide. The UK and Canadian parliaments have debated the issue but have not announced a final decision.

Background: The petition follows a campaign on X by the Hazara Diaspora Network, which Afghanistan International said began on October 18 and opposes land seizures and the forced displacement of Hazaras and Shias. The outlet reported that the Taliban have declared more than 1,500 jeribs of land in Kabul's Omid-e Sabz township state property.

Why it matters: UNAMA said in its latest update that the Taliban closed at least 10 Shia institutions in Kabul and Ghazni between July and September 2026. Pressure on the land, homes and institutions of Hazaras, most of whom are Shia, is bound up with freedom of religion or belief and the rights of a religious and ethnic minority.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: Etilaatroz — Global petition to stop Hazara forced displacement and genocide; Shafaqna Afghanistan — Global campaign to stop the Hazara genocide; Afghanistan International — Hazara Diaspora Network campaign

Photo: Etilaatroz