ESSEN, GERMANY – The Afghanistan Organization for Human Rights Development (AODHR) hosted a two-day educational workshop titled “Human Rights for Refugees: From Awareness to Empowerment” on August 28–29, 2026, targeting refugees, human rights activists, and civil society members.
The two-day event focused on enhancing refugee rights literacy, expanding legal avenues for integration, and discussing the historical and legal frameworks of international human rights alongside German constitutional law.
Key Presentations & Perspectives
Foundational Goals & AODHR Role
- Dr. Daoud Ali Najafi (Chair of the Executive Board, AODHR) welcomed participants and outlined the program’s core objectives: boosting refugees’ legal awareness, utilizing peer-to-peer education, and encouraging active integration.
- He highlighted AODHR’s established record in human rights protection since 2001 and noted its foundational role in the International Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC).
Theoretical Foundations & The Afghan Context
- Abdul Ahad Farzam (Former Deputy Minister for Human Rights and International Relations of Afghanistan) provided a comprehensive overview of international human rights mechanisms, including treaty bodies, the UN Human Rights Council, and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
- He detailed the historical work of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), analyzed current systemic human rights violations in Afghanistan, and highlighted the critical advocacy role of the global Afghan diaspora.
Historical Evolution of Human Rights
- Dr. Faizullah Jalal (Former Professor of Law and Political Science at Kabul University) traced the philosophical and religious roots of fundamental rights from ancient civilizations to modern milestones, such as the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and key international conventions against discrimination and torture.
German Constitutional Law & Refugee Rights
- Dorkas Michaelis-Iske (Integration and Refugee Advisor at AWO) presented a comparison between international human rights and the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz).
- The session detailed fundamental guarantees—including equal treatment, freedom of speech, privacy, personal property, and the right to asylum—while emphasizing that legal rights come with civic responsibilities to uphold democratic principles and public order.
Working Group Findings
The conference structured thematic working groups to examine fundamental rights across jurisdictions:
- Freedom of Expression: Moderated by Setareh Laali and Dorkas Michaelis-Iske, discussions focused on balancing free speech with the legal prohibitions against hate speech, defamation, and unauthorized audio/video recording under German law.
- Marriage & Family Structure: Momina Yari (Deputy Executive Board, AODHR) examined gender equality in marriage and divorce under international standards and Articles 3 and 6 of the German Basic Law, emphasizing child welfare protection during legal proceedings.
- Property Rights: Leila Hayat and Dorkas Michaelis-Iske detailed the scope and limits of individual property ownership, outlining state parameters around public domain expropriation and lawful compensation.
- UDHR Article 30 Comparative Analysis: Rahyab Ali-Abadi compared Article 30 (prevention of rights abuse) against the 2004 Afghan Constitution and German Basic Law. Michaelis-Iske further highlighted the unalterable democratic core of Article 20 of the German Basic Law (Ewigkeitsklausel).
The event concluded with closing remarks from Momina Yari (Deputy Executive Board, AODHR) emphasizing the diaspora’s ongoing responsibility to support civil rights initiatives and humanitarian advocacy for citizens remaining in Afghanistan.
