On February 17, 2024, the Human Rights Activists Union (HRAU) organized a large and spirited demonstration in vancouver, Canada, coinciding with the United Nations Doha Meeting on Afghanistan. The gathering united members of the Afghan diaspora, human rights defenders, journalists, and activists to denounce the Taliban’s reign of terror and to urge the international community—particularly the United Nations—to reform its failed approach toward Afghanistan.
Participants held banners and chanted slogans condemning the Taliban as a terrorist group responsible for systematic repression, gender-based violence, and cultural destruction. They also called on the U.N. to stand with the people of Afghanistan, not with the perpetrators of tyranny, and to ensure that no initiative results in the recognition or legitimization of the Taliban regime.
During the demonstration, the Union’s official resolution—titled “The Resolution of the February 18, 2024, Demonstration in Connection with the Doha Meeting”—was publicly read and adopted. The resolution reaffirmed that the Taliban is a terrorist entity that continues to violate human rights and humanitarian law, and that any attempt to normalize relations with them is morally and legally indefensible.
Among the key points of the resolution were:
- A demand that the United Nations appoint a neutral and credible special envoy for Afghanistan who genuinely represents the will and aspirations of its people.
- A call for the Taliban to be officially designated as a terrorist organization, and for the global community to avoid any direct or indirect legitimization of their rule.
- A request for the United States government to safeguard Afghanistan’s frozen national reserves until a legitimate, inclusive, and democratic government is re-established.
- A demand for the international community to criminalize gender apartheid as a crime against humanity and to prosecute Taliban officials responsible for systematic discrimination and violence against women.
- A call to recognize the genocide of the Hazara community and to form international investigative teams to hold perpetrators accountable.
Speakers and participants emphasized that the crisis in Afghanistan cannot be solved through political compromise with terrorists but through a principled and justice-centered approach that addresses the roots of oppression, extremism, and impunity.
The vancouver protest sent a strong and united message: the people of Afghanistan have not abandoned their struggle for freedom, justice, and equality. The Human Rights Activists Union reaffirmed its mission to amplify the voices of the oppressed and to unite activists across continents for a future where human dignity and rights prevail over tyranny and terror.