Radio Azadi: Amplifying Hazara Discrimination in Afghanistan (Part III)

On January 20, 2015, Radio Azadi, the Afghanistan Service, purposefully published a parnicious video report from Herat, located in western Afghanistan, which was subsequently published on its website, YouTube, and social media platforms. The report centered around Iranian influence in Afghanistan, and the reporter sought to cast doubt on the presence of Hazaras in Herat.

In the report, the reporter visits the Jebrael neighborhood, a Hazara-majority area, and begins by claiming that Jebrael suddenly appeared in what was once an empty plain. The implication is clear: the Hazaras were not originally from Herat but were recently brought there by Iran. The reporter further questions local residents, asking if their homes were built by Iran. One elderly man responds, firmly stating, "No, we built everything with our own money and with our own hands."

The underlying message of the report is that the presence of Hazaras in Herat is part of a covert Iranian government plan to establish a corridor to Afghanistan, using the Hazara population. From Radio Azadi's perspective, Jebrael is depicted as an Iranian initiative designed to fill the vacuum left by NATO forces in the region.

This report is just one example of the biased content regularly produced and disseminated by Radio Azadi’s Afghanistan section. It is evident that the reporter deliberately sought to challenge the legitimacy of the Hazara community in Herat. This incident reflects a broader pattern of Hazara-phobia and dehumanization of the Hazara people.

I recently learned that Radio Free Europe’s funding has been cut, and I sincerely hope this information is accurate. The continued existence of Radio Azadi, a deeply corrupt, ethnocentric, and biased organization that consistently supports Pashtuns and the Taliban, is more harmful than beneficial. It has had no positive impact on Afghanistan’s situation and will likely never do so. Instead, it has become a platform for Taliban propaganda and those who advocate for Pashtun ethnic dominance.