It was the most horrible experience I could ever have in my life. I experienced things I would never imagine seeing in my life.” — Afghan judge on trying to flee Kabul
Afghanistan’s female judges did what is anathema to the Taliban: They dared sit in judgment of men, holding them accountable for their actions and often sentencing them to long prison terms.
Daphne Bramham: Afghan's female judges desperate to flee death threats and retaliation https://t.co/1rkvTlPV9V
— The Vancouver Sun (@VancouverSun) August 31, 2021
Death threats were frequent and, in January, despite the American troops’ presence, two women on the Supreme Court were assassinated.
Now, these fearless judges are being hunted by the Taliban and their fates have fallen mainly to international colleagues to sort out.
“It was the most horrible experience I could ever have in my life,” said one judge in describing her a harrowing escape from Kabul only a few days ago. “I experienced things I would never imagine seeing in my life.”
Of the 270 female justices, she was one of the lucky 20 who the International Association of Women Judges has rescued since the Taliban took control of the country, opened the jails, closed the courts and warned women to stay at home.
“We had some food and water but we ended up wandering from this gate to another for three days and two nights without food,” the judge said.
“Through this mayhem, we had to deal with gunfire all the time and the tear gas. That (tear gas) was the hardest thing for everyone. We couldn’t breath, we couldn’t see anything then with all of this (we) go this gate, other and another still not knowing if could go through or not or whether we could make it. We just kept going through the gates.”
The judge spoke Monday through a translator on the condition that no name be used, not her own or a pseudonym. She’s in hiding in an undisclosed country, waiting to find out where she and her family might be resettled.
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