Female Afghan judges fear for their lives as Taliban prisoners they previously sentenced are now free.
Women’s photojournalism course in Farah City, Afghanistan. ResoluteSupportMedia. CC BY 2.
In August 2021 the Taliban took control of Afghanistan shortly after the United States withdrew its military. As a result, there were mass attempts to flee. This culminated in citizens desperately rushing the Kubal airfield in attempts to leave the country. Concern for female judges and lawyers started immediately when the Taliban seized control, as many of those judges had sentenced Taliban fighters to prison and feared what would happen to them and their families. Many of the prisoners released by the Taliban had been convicted of serious and violent crimes, causing the judges and lawyers that prosecuted them to fear retaliation. One female judge reported receiving threats from released prisoners shehad convicted, forcing her to go into hiding, fearing for her and her family’s lives. Many of the people that initially fled the country were citizens of NATO countries who were evacuated by their respective governments, leaving citizens of Afghanistan scrambling to find refuge. Early efforts to evacuate the judges were made by the nonprofit International Association of Women Judges, who worked to find ways out of the country for the female Judges.
Most recently the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute helped to evacuate a total of 79 female judges, journalists and activists to Greece. The group was also able to evacuate the women’s families, totalling to 370 people who were able to flee Afghanistan. Greece gave the refugees temporary visas, and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute is continuing to look for more permanent solutions for the families. Many of the families evacuated have already been welcomed into other countries as their final destinations, including Australia, Germany, the United States, Ireland, Iceland and the United Kingdom. The effort was led by Baroness Kennedy of the UK. The first flight that evacuated the judges and activists departed in early October, carrying 26 people. The following two flights to Greece carried the 370 total evacuated judges, journalists and activists along with their families.
Kabul the capital of Afghanistan. Jorr81. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The fear for women’s safety not only comes from their occupations and judges, journalists and activists, but when the Taliban previously had power in Afghanistan women had very few rights. They were unable to work, receive an education, or leave the house without a male relative escorting them. Women working as judges was seen as a major step in elevating women’s rights in Afghanistan after the occupation of the Taliban. Female judges now forced to flee or go into hiding for fear of retaliation for their work is a devastating regression from the progress made.
Dana Flynn
Dana is a recent graduate from Tufts University with a degree in English. While at Tufts she enjoyed working on a campus literary magazine and reading as much as possible. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she loves to explore and learn new things.