Responding to the deaths of at least six people and the injury of 11 others, including children, following bomb blasts in schools in predominantly Hazara Shiite communities in Kabul today, Samira Hamidi, Amnesty International’s South Asia Campaigner, said:
“These reprehensible attacks on schools highlight the violence that Afghan people continue to face in their daily lives. It also shows that the Taliban, as the de-facto authorities, are failing to protect civilians, especially those from ethnic and religious minority groups, from harm.
Some victims of the terrorist attack on Abdul Rahman Shaheed High School in Kabul in a poster by RAWA.
This tragic loss of life is completely inexcusable and must be condemned.
Samira Hamidi, Amnesty International’s South Asia Campaigner
“It is essential that the de-facto authorities carry out a thorough investigation into the attacks, which should be conducted in line with international law and standards. Those suspected of criminal responsibility for these callous bombings must face justice in fair trials before ordinary civilian courts and without recourse to death penalty.
“Amnesty International also strongly condemns the use of violence after the bombings by the Taliban who sought to prevent the media from reporting on the incident. Afghan journalists must be allowed to carry out their work without fear of reprisals.”