Author: Sayed Hussain Hussainy

This author has written 1070 articles
Read more about the article When There is no Peace; I Changed My Name to Achieve My Dreams”

When There is no Peace; I Changed My Name to Achieve My Dreams”

As a teenager with tremendous desire to work Wahida found herself living in a remote village dominated by the government’s armed opposition. Her neighbors not only discouraged girls who worked but also threatened them. She said that those challenges not only discouraged her to work but rather made her more determined.Belonging to a family with political and military background, Wahida constantly faced objections for disgracing the reputation of the family by working out of home. Following Wahida’s persistence to work out of home, her family decides to leave their ancestor’s land and move to Kabul where she could achieve her goals.While in Kabul she still feared her kin’s vengeance. Despite her young age and her relative’s disbelief in her, she moved forward with determination starting with participating in a short-term training course to work in media. She was so young that the person in charge of the training center jokingly said that you want to be trained for children programs? In her first experience on a live radio program, she avoided using her real name to the audience and used “Hila” as her pseudonym.Wahida now called “Hila” worked as radio presenter for several years. In order to avoid financial dependency, she walked the distance between her school and the radio office. Upon her graduation from school, she decided to become a reporter. A media office in Kabul was running a training program for journalists those days. Wahida joined the program. After three months of training and mentorship, she became a journalist.She joined a media outlet and worked for four years now using her real name. While she was preparing reports on corruption and war the victims, she received death threats. Nonetheless, Wahida continued her work and received a medal from the president for one of her reports on…

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Read more about the article Attack on civilian targets is in no way acceptable.

Attack on civilian targets is in no way acceptable.

 This morning, terrorist groups stormed a civilian hospital in Kabul and attacked a funeral ceremony in Nangarhar province. Killing of civilians is in direct violation of domestic and international laws, and is a crime against humanity. The Civil Society and Human Rights Network (CSHRN) calls on the Afghan government to take immediate actions to stop the attacks on civilian targets.

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Read more about the article Press Release Regarding the Terrorist Attack on Sikh Religious Minority in Afghanistan

Press Release Regarding the Terrorist Attack on Sikh Religious Minority in Afghanistan

The CSHRN accounts the brutal suicide attack on the Sikh religious minority in Afghanistan unacceptable and is highly concerned about the rise of such heinous attack targeting the religious minorities in the country. Such acts are not only against the principles of Human Rights and the International Humanitarian law, but also it is in direct contradiction with the overt provisions of holy Islam. The suicide attack took place on Sikh ethnic minority in Kabul on March 25, which culminated in 30 deaths and injuries including men, women, and children once again proved that terrorists do not recognize any norms and values. In the meantime, this attack manifested the vulnerability of the religious minorities in the country and impress the need that: The Afghan government must immediately investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice; The security sector must take preventive measures to stop such attacks in the future; The respective institutions must promptly provide all the humanitarian aid necessary to the victims of this abhorrent attack. Civil Society and Human Rights Network and Human Rights and Eradication of Violence Organization Kabul, Afghanistan March 26, 2020

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Read more about the article Press Release by the Civil Society and Human Rights Network (CSHRN) on Recent Crises in the Country.

Press Release by the Civil Society and Human Rights Network (CSHRN) on Recent Crises in the Country.

Resolving post-election disputes, unconditional ceasefire, and an reduction in aid from friendly countries to Afghanistan is an urgent need to prevent the escalation of the crises in the country. Press Release by the Civil Society and Human Rights Network (CSHRN) on recent Crises in the country As a common threat to all human beings, the COVID-19 virus is rapidly spilling over everywhere in the world and Afghanistan. Due to protected armed conflict, Afghanistan has lost its infrastructure, the country is now on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe more than any other time in the past. The spread of the COVID-19 virus has crossed all political, ethnic, religious and ideological lines and is threatening the country as a whole. Although official statistics confirmed only 42 infectious cases so far, the assumption is presumably much higher than announced.  On the other hand, the post-electoral disputes between the two forerunning electoral teams have diverted attention to contain the crises, paving further instability and diminishing global confidence on the Afghan government. As the biggest supporter of the Afghan government, the U.S. Department of State has recently warned that it will cut $1 billion in aid to Afghanistan as the result of political disputes between the two electoral rivals. This has added further concerns to the already problems in Afghanistan. Based on these considerations, therefore, the CSHRN, as a premier organization for civil and human rights in the country, recommends to all parties (government, political parties, the Taliban, and the international community): Now is the best time for an unconditional ceasefire in the country. To prevent a humanitarian crisis and to save the lives of their own people, the Afghan government and the Taliban must declare a ceasefire without any preconditions until the end of the crisis stemmed from the spread of…

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Read more about the article Radio Program on International Humanitarian Law (IHL)

Radio Program on International Humanitarian Law (IHL)

programme consists of two parts: analysis and debate. An international lawyer with expertise in international law prepares an analysis of the situation. Then the moderator of the radio programme asks questions from the guests invited in the program according to this analysis. The main focus of the programme is to deliberate questions regarding the killing of innocent people during military operations, the conditions of prisoners of war, the conditions in the prisons controlled by international military troops in Afghanistan, the role of the international community in monitoring IHL in Afghanistan, the role of the Afghan state and the international community regarding IHL and … The programme is aired once a month by Good Morning Afghanistan with the collaboration of the Civil Society and Human Rights Network. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Read more about the article Afghan Civil Society Activists and Organizations Statement About National Unity Government on the peace agreement with the Armed opposition groups

Afghan Civil Society Activists and Organizations Statement About National Unity Government on the peace agreement with the Armed opposition groups

In the name of Almighty Allah  Afghan Civil Society Activists and Organizations Statement About National Unity Government on the peace agreement with the Armed opposition groups 27 Aqrab 1395, of November 17, 2016 Kabul, Afghanistan Peace talks with armed groups involved in the Afghan system is an integral part of official policy of Afghanistan since more than a decade. Despite the persistent efforts and high political and economic investments, conflict continues in Afghanistan and every year more other layers are added. Due to the inefficiency and failure of the Afghan government's peace policy in the three and a half decades, still the parties to the conflict do not respect the demands and sacrifices of people and recommendations of civil society and human rights organizations for current structural transition from conflict. It has been more than a decade since Afghan peace talks with Taliban continues; but not only Peace was not in amid, but even we have not witnessed durable ceasefire and cessation of the conflict. Despair, frustration and cynicism of the citizens of Afghanistan to the official policy of peace and reconciliation of the warring groups becomes more and more widespread each day. Recently, two important and promising issue about the Afghan government and the International Criminal Court, in connection with the logical and legal termination of Afghanistan conflicts have been proposed. Last week, Afghan President in a meeting with the delegation of the United Nations, demanded to include the name of the leader of the Taliban and other terrorist in the black list of the United Nations. The request can be considered as a turning point, in a serious struggle with terrorist groups, which is a major cause of human rights violations and humanitarian law in conflicts in Afghanistan. On other hand, prosecutor’s office of International Criminal…

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Read more about the article Consultation with the civil society organizations on the situation of minorities in Afghanistan

Consultation with the civil society organizations on the situation of minorities in Afghanistan

At the beginning of the new chapter of its activities, Civil Society and Human Rights Network (CSHRN) has begun to address the legal status of minorities as one of its priorities. On this occasion, on October 27, 2019, CSHRN held a consultation meeting with a number of civil society activists, elites and university professors. The participants discussed their views, criticisms and suggestions on the situation of minorities and ethnicities in Afghanistan. In this program, they shared views regarding the discrimination in the laws (written and unwritten) culture, society, politics and economy of Afghanistan. It was emphasized in the program that eliminating ethnic, linguistic, and religious discrimination is the government’s basic responsibility in eradicating any kind of supremacy through enacting laws and other mechanisms. According to these activists, discrimination is structured to the extent that divides the citizens into first, second and third degrees. When a province is put in the third degree, then that province is two level lower than the first degree provinces in terms of development, and welfare. Development of health, education, economy and culture of that province is the third priority. This in turn has caused population congestion in the first degree provinces and has transformed the productive force into a consumer force in the first provinces. Through its constructive advocacy and engagement with the government, CSHRN is determined to co-ordinate minority rights programs.

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Afghanistan: In rare move, government launches investigations into systematic sexual abuse of children

Press release Geneva/Kabul, 7 January 2020 – Two human rights organisations welcome the move by the Attorney General’s Office of Afghanistan to initiate investigations into the systematic and culturally widely accepted sexual abuse of boys by State officials, warlords and other powerful individuals. This follows evidence collected by two human rights defenders on hundreds of such cases in the Logar province, in the eastern part of the country. “This is a remarkable development” said Sayed Hussain Anosh, Executive Director of the Civil Society and Human Rights Network (CSHRN). “We very much welcome the investigation into the widespread sexual abuse of children, a tabooed practice that has been ignored by the public and the government alike for decades.” In November 2019, Ehsanullah Hamidi and Musa Mahmoudi, who worked for CSHRN, revealed the sexual abuse of hundreds of boys from six different schools in the Logar province, with teachers, headmasters and local officials involved. Shortly afterwards, the two human rights defenders received threats and were arbitrarily detained by the National Directorate of Security for several days. While kept incommunicado, the defenders were forced to make an apology on camera for their research being “incorrect” and “incomplete". All of this however changed in December, when the Attorney General’s Office stated that it would investigate the cases, and senior members of the office have now started to look into the evidence collected by the two human rights defenders. Afghanistan has a long history of sexual abuse of children by private individuals as well as State officials, amounting to torture and other ill-treatment. The practice of Bachabazi (meaning “dancing boys” or “boys play”) is a contemporary form of child sex slavery. The boys, who often come from impoverished families, dress as women and perform as dancers at private parties before being raped by their masters and others. Bachabazi and practices…

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Consultation with the civil society organizations on the situation of minorities in Afghanistan

At the beginning of the new chapter of its activities, Civil Society and Human Rights Network (CSHRN) has begun to address the legal status of minorities as one of its priorities. On this occasion, on October 27, 2019, CSHRN held a consultation meeting with a number of civil society activists, elites and university professors. The participants discussed their views, criticisms and suggestions on the situation of minorities and ethnicities in Afghanistan. In this program, they shared views regarding the discrimination in the laws (written and unwritten) culture, society, politics and economy of Afghanistan. It was emphasized in the program that eliminating ethnic, linguistic, and religious discrimination is the government’s basic responsibility in eradicating any kind of supremacy through enacting laws and other mechanisms. According to these activists, discrimination is structured to the extent that divides the citizens into first, second and third degrees. When a province is put in the third degree, then that province is two level lower than the first degree provinces in terms of development, and welfare. Development of health, education, economy and culture of that province is the third priority. This in turn has caused population congestion in the first degree provinces and has transformed the productive force into a consumer force in the first provinces. Through its constructive advocacy and engagement with the government, CSHRN is determined to co-ordinate minority rights programs.

Continue ReadingConsultation with the civil society organizations on the situation of minorities in Afghanistan

The Maldives: Ensure safety of human rights defenders amid recent accusations of blasphemy against Maldivian Democracy Network

(Bangkok, 8 October 2019) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASA), together with undersigned civil society organisations, condemns the persecution of its member, the Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN), and expresses great concern about what potential consequences the recent accusations of blasphemy could have for the staff and members of MDN. Rather than fanning the flames of intolerance by calling for an emergency motion against MDN, authorities should call for calm and ensure the safety of all human rights defenders in the country.      We call on the Government of the Maldives to immediately take action against all those who harass, spread hate and incite violence. We understand that a police investigation has commenced against MDN and call on the Maldives Police Service to take legal action against those who incite violence and hate. On Thursday, 3 October 2019, the Islamic Ministry ordered a police investigation into MDN for a report issued in 2015, which addresses the spread of narratives promoting violent extremism, including messages within school textbooks. The Ministry accuses that the report: mocks Islam, as well as Prophet Mohammad; includes content that goes against the tenets of Islam, and potentially disrupts the religious unity of the Maldives. The Maldivian Constitution prohibits expression and opinion that contradict tenets of Islam, while the Penal Code criminalises blasphemy.  The current attack on MDN comes within the context of a history of vilification and harassment of those trying to counter violent extremism in the Maldives, including past attacks on MDN and its staff for legitimate human rights work. The accusations of blasphemy further the harassment of MDN that has been ongoing since 2014, and adds voices to it, including from the current opposition, various ruling party lawmakers, ministers and ruling coalition leaders.  The attacks also triggered a social media…

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