Centre for Applied Human Rights
Abdul Hakim Hashemi Hamidi
Afghanistan, CAHR, Autumn 2014
I have graduated from Herat University in Afghanistan, majoring in history. Currently I am working as an artistic director, author and analyst. In 2010 I was nominated as a candidate in the parliamentary elections.
I started my human rights activities when I was living in Iran as a refugee. When I was working for Afghan refugees' rights, I was arrested by the police and jailed. I was not allowed to go to the toilet for almost 24 hours and I was beaten in front of many Afghan refugees in the police station. However they made me more determined by their insults and humiliations to continue my work.
After I returned to Afghanistan in 2004, I decided to continue my activities for human rights, especially for women's and children's rights as a human rights defender. In consultation with a number of my friends, I established Simorgh Film Association of Culture and Art (SFACA) in Herat province. I believe that cinema and theater are a good way to influence people, and to convey human rights issues.
Since almost 10 years, I have been involved in social development programmes at Simorgh Film Association in Herat, Kabul, Bamiyan and Kunduz. These programmes have included workshops, educational theater for capacity building, human rights, stable democracy, and elections. We have received financial support and technical cooperation from theatre and TV companies in Afghanistan, the US and Europe; from the US Embassy in Kabul and Consulate in Herat; different UN agencies; Afghanistan Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Education; and other organisations doing development work in Afghanistan. I have worked in villages and far districts in those provinces and held educational theater workshops in prisons, juvenile correction centers, drug addiction rehabilitation centers, women's shelters and schools, as well as for the Afghan National Police.
The subjects that we considered were women’s and children rights; the value of individuals participating in elections and voting; education for all; the role of education in empowerment of women and young girls; conflict resolution; and empowerment in areas of conflict and post-war recovery. We did these activities through youth outreach and creating local artistic groups using theater as a means of communication across cultural borders.
As a general director and artistic director of SFACA, I have produced short and long films; TV serials with a human rights focus, specifically addressing women's rights; and participated in national as well as international theatre festivals. In these performances, more than 80% of my theatre group consisted of young girls.
I had many interviews with local, national and international media regarding human rights in Afghanistan and Afghan refugees in Iran. I have written articles for websites, newspapers and social media outlets in Afghanistan for public awareness. My book, Philosophy of History, has been published in Afghanistan.
Currently I am participating in the Protective Fellowship Scheme at the Center for Applied Human Rights to improve my skills and benefit from this unique programme for human rights defenders. Participation in lectures, seminars, and workshops during this fellowship is very useful for me, because now I can learn more about new methods and mechanisms for the promotion of basic human rights. This is a very good opportunity to share my experiences with other human rights defenders from across the world. We will stay in touch with each other and CAHR after the fellowship, too.