Italian Advocates Plan International Sit-Ins – CISDA Helps Urgent Situation for Malalai Joya

Malalai Joya speaking on March 8, 2007 in Australia. Image: AfghanKabul

Human Rights Watch Asia director, Brad Adams said recently after receiving news of Joya’s expulsion from the Afghan parliament, “Malalai Joya is a staunch defender of human rights and a powerful voice for Afghan women, and she shouldn’t have been suspended from parliament… The Afghan parliament should be setting an example by promoting and protecting free expression, not by stamping it out.”

Carolee Walker, a USINFO staff writer for the US Dept. of State, has just announced a new film, Enemies of Happiness, that covers the political life of Malalai Joya. “In Enemies of Happiness, which follows the intense final weeks of Malalai Joya’s successful election campaign to the Afghan parliament, Joya uses the democratic political process to advocate for women’s rights amid death threats from powerful politicians opposed to her candidacy. Ironically, in May (2007), just after the film was completed, the Afghan parliament voted to suspend Joya from her seat, citing a rule forbidding members from criticizing each other. Joya is a vocal critic of Afghan parliamentarians who have ties to Northern Alliance warlords,” said Walker.

From her beginnings as a member of the Afghan National Assembly, Joya has continually pointed out the points of corruption inside the Afghan parliament. Malalai’s desire for a true electoral body to govern the country are based on her ongoing work to help the suffering that exists today in Afghanistan.

“Two activist women recently, have been killed in their houses. They were journalists: Shakiba Amaj and also Zakia Zaki. And most of the people (in Afghanistan) they have education problem, health problem. That is how much education is important,” said Joya during a recent June 14, 2007 interview by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now Radio.

In the early days of her shortened term in office Malalai Joya had great hopes. “I hope by being a member of parliament I will be able to serve my people,” said Malalai, in 2005, after being elected by her constituents from the Farah Province. “I will do my best to stop the warlords and criminals from building any laws that will jeopardize the rights of Afghan people, especially the women,” she added.
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Sources for this article include The Defense Committee for Malalai Joya, BBC news, Democracy Now Radio, Khaleej Times, The US Dept. of State – USINFO and CISDA – Coordinamento Italiano Sostegno Donne Afghane.
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