The Guardian reports..
Government urged to give sanctuary to hundreds of female judges and lawyers living under the Taliban
Helena Kennedy QC has launched an urgent appeal to provide support to judges along with lawyers, women’s rights activists, human rights defenders and their families at risk in Afghanistan and in need of a safe haven abroad.
As part of the #EvacuateHer campaign, Lady Kennedy has also launched a petition calling on the UK government to provide sanctuary to Afghan judges and lawyers at risk. The Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (Arap) initially stated judges were eligible under the scheme but no longer includes this group.
The campaign is one of many attempts to help the hundreds of women who have sat as judges in Afghanistan. In the past 20 years, about 270 women have sat as judges – about one-tenth of the country’s judiciary.
Their cases have included many the Taliban would consider as a direct challenge to their authority – liberating women from marriages where they found themselves enslaved, freeing women from situations of domestic violence and upholding the right of girls and women to education and careers. Some have been involved in ordering the imprisonment of members of the Taliban and terrorists from Islamic State and other organisations.
