Gunmen assassinate two female judges in Kabul ambush
Gunmen killed two female judges in Afghanistan yesterday, the latest in a series of assassinations that has shaken the country.
Identified as Zakia Herawi and Qadria Yasini by family members, the women were ambushed in central Kabul while on their way to work at the Supreme Court of Afghanistan.
Their driver was wounded in the attack.
“I knew these women personally,” Najla Raheel, an advocate and vice president of the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association, told The National.
“Zakia jan was a close friend and colleague,” she said, using a term of endearment. “I am very disturbed by her murder.
“She was a kind and intelligent woman, and I don’t know why they would attack her.”
Although conferred the title of judges, the two women worked in the General Directorate of Research and Studies in the Supreme Court, which employs more than 200 female judges.
“We are confused and shocked as to why they were targeted,” Ms Raheel said.
“They were not involved in passing out sentences to anyone. They are problem solvers within the legal system. To find the depth of this problem is very hard, but it is clear that the Taliban is targeting women to reduce the influence of women in public spaces. They are also using these killings as a way to gain leverage in the ongoing talks. This is deeply concerning.”
The Afghan government has been engaged in negotiations with the Taliban since January 5 in a bid to end the two decades of conflict. But despite the peace efforts, violence has increased and assassinations have become more common.
“The government is failing to offer any protection,” said Orzala Nemat, an Afghan researcher and activist. “No serious investigations are in place for such cases. It is hard to imagine any shortcut to end this any time soon.”
Salim Rustami, a lawyer who knew the victims of yesterday’s shooting, said the incident was an attack on the judiciary.
On Wednesday, two employees of the Nangarhar Court of Appeal were killed in the southern city of Jalalabad.