Global Campus Statement on Attack at Haj Education Centre, Kabul

The Global Campus of Human Rights and its network of 100 universities around the world is dedicated to educate future generations of human rights defenders. We are deeply alarmed about the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan and extreme increase in human rights violations especially towards women and the ethnic group of Hazara. We express our solidarity with Afghans – both those in Afghanistan and those in exile – in light of the recent deliberate attack on the Haj Education Centre in Kabul on 30 September 2022. 56 were killed and 115 injured (amounts as of 5 October 2022). Education is a fundamental right that all people should have access to, no matter their sex, gender, heritage, or socio-economic status.

Since the fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021, the deprivation of basic rights of women and attacks against the Hazara minority have increased. The attack at the Haj Centre was directed at students, mostly female, sitting for practice exams. Attacking those simply exercising their fundamental right to education is an abominable action. Students should never live in fear to attend school.

The world must not turn a blind eye to Afghanistan. Through our university network, partners, and recipients of the Threatened Afghan Students and Scholars programme, we stand with Afghan human rights defenders within the country and in exile, who are tirelessly working towards building a better future for their country.