Afghanistan's Civil Rights Activists Call For Independent Probe On Kabul Protest Killings
Kabul, Afghanistan (PRWEB) June 07, 2017 -- Afghanistan’s online civil rights activist and blogger Shuja Rabbani has condemned the Afghan government for ordering their Protective Services guards to open fire on civilian protesters.
The Afghan President’s Protective Service (PPS) shot and killed seven civilians during a peaceful protest marking anger over the lack of security in the capital city of Kabul.
Following one of the worst bombings in Kabul since the US invasion in 2001 last week, a group of civilian protesters including university lecturers and students staged a demonstration on Friday expressing their anger over the government’s lack of competence in bringing security to the war-torn city and holding security officials accountable.
Civil rights activists including human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have expressed their concerns in the government’s mishandling of the situation which turned chaotic after protesters claimed the PPS opened gunfire following direct orders from the Afghan President. Unverified video footages on social media have since surfaced of snipers deliberately targeting unarmed civilian protesters. The protesters have since continued their sit-ins into the fourth day and have expressed desire to build more sit-in tents across the city until the government takes genuine measures against ongoing violence against civilians.
In response to the aftermath of the Kabul demonstration, Rabbani stated, “Our government has consistently failed to provide security to the Afghan citizens across the country and to add insult to injury, they have lost moral grounds of authority by opening fire at unarmed civilians practicing their civil and human rights to assemble publicly. This is a gross abuse of power at the highest level of our government.”
Other activists on social media have been condemning the government’s apathy towards the victims and mishandling of the protest. Rabbani asks, “The deafening silence from our allies such as the United States makes everyone question why they are not taking the government’s violent actions against civilians seriously? Billions of dollars’ worth of American taxpayers’ money has been poured in to create the fragile democracy we have today. We cannot afford to lose it because of a government gone rogue. The Kabul Process Conference for peace which is due to take place this week is a sham if the government is inviting the donors while protesters are in their tents outside demanding their democratic rights back.”
The explosion last week is reported to have killed at least ninety people and wounded four-hundred as the bomb went off in the diplomatic quarter of Kabul city near the German Embassy and the presidential palace.
Shuja Rabbani is an Afghan blogger who frequently writes about minority and social issues of Afghanistan.
Shuja Rabbani, Rabbani Records, http://www.shujarabbani.com, +971 507499378, [email protected]
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