Murder of Afghan Women's Rights Official Condemned
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United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women
For immediate release Tuesday 26 September 2006 [Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic] Strongly condemning the murder of a leading women's rights official in Afghanistan, the Director of the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW) Carmen Moreno today stressed that it is crucial for Afghan society as a whole to ensure the safety of women's rights supporters. "Those few who believe that murdering women's rights advocates serves any interest of the Afghan people are wrong. This kind of crime will only undermine the development of democracy and justice in Afghanistan", voiced the Director of the only UN women's research institute in reaction to the assassination of Safia Amajan in the southern city of Kandahar. As the head of women's affairs in Kandahar's provincial government since 2001, Ms. Amajan actively contributed to the promotion of women's participation in the election process in 2004 and 2005 and had been advocating for equal access to education. On September 25th 2006, Ms. Amajan was shot dead on her way to her office. Responsibility for her attack has not yet been claimed. "An Afghanistan without women in politics and education would be an Afghanistan without a peaceful future", Carmen Moreno pointed out. "Criminals who use violence to silence women's voices must be brought to justice; not only for the victims, but also for the sake of Afghanistan as a whole," the UN-INSTRAW Director added. Ms. Moreno is confident that the Afghan authorities will launch a full and independent investigation into Ms. Amajan's death. Furthermore, Ms. Moreno expressed grave concern over the safety of women's rights workers in Afghanistan, especially in the heavily volatile southern states. "Afghan citizens should not fear for their lives when they bring their daughters, their sisters or their mothers to school", she said. "Safety measures must be enhanced to protect the women who are building a better Afghanistan for all". |
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