No more hope’, Afghan Hazaras live in fear under Taliban rule

No more hope’, Afghan Hazaras live in fear under Taliban rule A black and white Taliban flag flies over the blown-up statue of a revered Hazara chief at the entrance to Bamiyan in central Afghanistan. Since the radical Islamists swept to power seven weeks ago they have repeatedly promised a more moderate, inclusive brand of rule than during their last stint, when minorities were brutally persecuted. But members of the Hazara community here don’t believe them. “Everyone is terrified,“ says Najwa, a 26-year-old local journalist now out of work. “It is impossible to believe them. For the Hazaras, and especially for us women, there is no more hope.“ She and other Hazaras fled into the mountains when they first heard the Taliban were coming, but a week later they returned. Afghanistan’s new rulers have declared a general amnesty and promised reform. But fears abound that they will repeat the brutal repression of minorities and women seen during their former r