I am fine and trying to be fine, but I still have nightmares of my time in Afghanistan, especially of the terror and the threats by the Taliban when the slightest sound would keep me awake until the next Morning, fearing for my life. I am still terrified. Now, I have to adapt myself to the new environment, new language, and the laws of the country where I am going to apply for asylum.

Before 15 August 2021, I was a judge of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan. Since 20 years, I have been involved in promotion of human rights, especially women and children rights advocacy. I have been a witness of the high standards that women have achieved on a global scale. However, women and girls of my country are still trapped in the customs of patriarchy and deprived of their most basic human rights, even to choose a spouse of the own choice, their work, education and property. Violence against women in Afghanistan is widespread and in various forms, ranging from honor killings to forced marriages of minors, burning and brutally beating, rape and beheading, and deprivation of the right to inheritance. In my society, no matter how hard a woman tries, she is not even recognized as a person who has an independent legal personality. Deprivation of women and propaganda campaigns, which openly incite prejudice and discrimination against them, particularly forced me to join the community in the defence of women rights.

Yes, because of my judicial duties, terrorist groups and their powerful supporters who were in high-ranking government positions have repeatedly threatened me. Due to the threats, which I officially reported to the Department of Homeland Security and the Attorney General's Office, the government provided three bodyguards and an armored vehicle to protect my family and me. Unfortunately, these threats continued until the fall of Ashraf Ghani's government. In the Morning of the government collapse, while I was on my way to the court, two bullets were fired at my car, which fortunately did not harm my bodyguards, my driver or me. Since that incident, I was not able to spend a night at home anymore. In the form of threatening phone calls or beating my nephew, the Taliban harassed me on daily basis. My nephew was detained to reveal my whereabouts who was released after two days with the condition to find me out. On the other hand, from time to time, I received phone calls and text messages from the released prisoners on my WhatsApp. Once, at the beginning of September 2021, a group of criminals abducted the 14 years old son of my brother, who was living with me. The local people are fully aware of what has happened to my family and me. These incidents caused me to save the lives of my family for whom my existence in Kabul was dangerous. I left my homeland with the help of the International Bar Association. The Taliban, who are still trying to find me, have recently raided our house and again arrested my family members and tortured them.