The Role of Disinformation and Misinformation in the Hazara Genocide

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Disinformation and misinformation have been key tools in the systematic persecution of the Hazara people in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Extremist groups, including the Taliban and ISIS-K, have long used propaganda to dehumanize Hazaras, justifying mass killings, force-displacement and marginalization. These narratives frame Hazaras as religious heretics, foreign agents, or political threats, fueling violent attacks and discrimination.

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• Religious and Ethnic Demonization: Extremist narratives depict Hazaras as infidels, making them targets for mass violence and exclusion.

• Historical Revisionism: The erasure of Hazara history downplays past genocides and reinforces a narrative that justifies ongoing persecution.

• Land Dispute: The historical conflict between Hazaras and Kuchi nomads, which began with the genocide of Hazaras and the seizure of their fertile lands in the late 1880s, has been continuously exploited as a pretext for further land grabs. With state-backed military support, Kuchi nomads have been empowered to forcibly displace Hazaras, exacerbating their dispossession and impoverishment.

• Social Media Incitement: Online platforms have been used to spread hate speech, glorify attacks on Hazaras, and coordinate acts of violence. Hazaras' advocacy for democracy and human rights in Afghanistan-particularly their alignment with international values over the past two decades-has made them a target for extremist groups who view them as adversaries for not supporting insurgencies against the international community.

• Government Denial and Obfuscation: Authorities systematically downplay or deny targeted attacks, forced displacement, and the intersectional persecution of Hazara women. By refusing to acknowledge the severity of the issue, they enable impunity for perpetrators

• Threats Against Human Rights Defenders: Activists & journalists highlighting Hazara persecution face intimidation, smear campaigns, and threats.

• Distorting the Narrative of Violence: The systematic attacks against Hazara schools, hospitals, sports centers, and maternity wards have been falsely portrayed as part of a broader security crisis affecting all Afghans, deliberately obscuring the fact that Hazaras are being specifically targeted due to their ethnic and religious identity. A stark example of this is the Taliban's continued denial of targeted killings, persecution, arbitrary detentions, and forced displacement despite overwhelming evidence from survivor testimonies and human rights organizations.