Afghanistan: 15 female judges fled in fear of the Taliban

Tens of thousands of Afghans and other nationals fled Afghanistan in fear of the Taliban during the military evacuations in August 2021. Among those that fled were the country’s female judges, who feared that the insurgent group would retaliate against them.

According to a report by The Guardian, 15 female Afghan judges and their families, fled the country out of fear of criminal retribution as well as retaliation from the Taliban during the evacuation efforts in August 2021. They have since been resettled in Australia. This comes as when the insurgent group regained control of the country, thousands of prisoners and convicted criminals that were released may have been looking to get even with her and other members of the judicial system.

One female judge, Farah Altaf Atahee, recalled to the outlet that she received a phone call one morning while she was at work in Kabul. Atahee was told that the insurgent group had regained control of Afghanistan and that she should go into hiding. Atahee fled Afghanistan with her husband and their children during the military evacuations.

Despite her and her family’s resettlement in Australia, Atahee shared that she is still worried about her family, knowing that the Taliban will want to retaliate against them.

Another female judiciary official, Mahtab Fazl, recalled escaping Herat City with her husband and their two sons. However, she still worries about the family members she had to leave behind.

“Because of my job as a judge, every day they are facing risks, they’re in danger,” said Fazl. “We need to get them out of Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan also faces possible threats in the form of rivaling extremist groups such as ISIS-K. However, the head of the Taliban’s intelligence services said the militant group does not operate in Afghanistan anymore. This comes as a United Nations report that found ISIS-K still operating within the country.

“There is no ISIS, not just in Nangarhar province, but all of Afghanistan,” Dr. Bashirmal told Nikkei Asia. Dr. Bashirmal added that the group known as Daesh in Afghanistan also does not pose a threat to the country’s national security.