is a victim/survivor of a/an
Additional information
Date of birth:
1985
Village/Town of birth:
NaiQala نی قلعه
Province of birth:
Ghazni: Qarabagh
Gender:
Male
Ethnicity:
Hazara
Education:
Class twelve
Date of the main incident:
23 July 2016
Place of the main incident:
Dehmazang, Kabul City
Incident description
On July 23, 2016, two suicide bombers denoted their explosives among the protesters at Dehmazang Square in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. The protesters, who were primarily Hazaras, were part of the Enlightenment Movement. They were protesting against the diversion of the TUTAP mega power project which would cause the project to bypass Hazara-dominated areas. At least 84 protesters lost their lives and 260-400 others were injured. The Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP), the regional branch of ISIS, took credit for the attack. However, ISKP later refuted their involvement in the attack.
The Enlightenment Movement, also known as Junbesh-e Roshnayie, was a grassroots civil disobedience movement started by Hazaras in Afghanistan in response to a change in the Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG proposed Energy Supply Improvement Investment Program, unofficially called TUTAP project plans. The change in the project plans would cause it to bypass Hazara regions. The move was seen as perpetuating long-standing anti-Hazara discrimination. Throughout 2016 and 2017, the Enlightenment Movement coordinated large-scale demonstrations against discrimination both domestically in Afghanistan and abroad.
AHRDO Archive
Alleged type of harm
Alleged type of crimes
Province:
Kabul: Kabul
Latitude:
34.5168788437339
Longitude:
69.1499999975304
Latitude: 34.5168788437339
Longitude: 69.1499999975304
He Used to Encourage His Friends to Stand Up for Their Rights
Narrator: Hazratullah Shirzad (brother)
Victim: Abdul Latif Zahidi
Date of the incident: 23 July 2016
Location of the incident: Dehmazang, Kabul City
Praise to the martyrs of the 23rd of July, and greetings to you. I am Hazratullah Shirzad, brother of the martyr Abdul Latif. We come from Ghazni Province, Qarabagh District. My brother graduated from Naiqala High School during the Taliban era. Because conditions were terrible in those years, he emigrated to Iran and lived and worked there for several years. After a few years, he returned to Afghanistan. He spent some time in Kandahar Province and then came to Kabul. After he came here, he worked with me in dentistry.
I went to Ghazni this year during Ramadan and remained there until the day of the incident. My brother always encouraged his friends and us to get an education. He advised all his friends to study hard, he was a keen reader. He was 28-years-old when he was killed, and left behind two daughters and two sons. After my brother's death, life has been difficult for the entire family and for me. He was not only a brother, but also a good friend and comrade to all of us.
As I said, when the incident happened, I was in Ghazni. Someone called me to say that a suicide attack had occurred in Dehmazang, and that unfortunately, Abdul Latif was injured. They wanted me to return to Kabul as soon as possible. I didn't even know how they took him to the hospital or how he had been martyred. By the time I arrived in Kabul, it was too late. I didn't know the details of the incident, but I arrived at his funeral. I couldn't believe it. I was in a terrible mental state; it is excruciating and almost impossible to describe those moments. He always encouraged his friends to stand up for their civil rights and not allow anyone to violate them. He believed everyone should have equal rights and access to social justice. To achieve that, they must fight.
