Andrew Anderson, Deputy Director of Front Line recently undertook a week long mission to Afghanistan to research the risks run by human rights defenders on a daily basis. He Looked in particular at the situation of women human rights defenders and journalists who work to expose government incompetence and corruption.

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Posted 12/10/2007 source Irish Times 12 September 2007.

“I have told my driver that if anything happens he is to kill me, I don't want them to take me alive.”

I was taken aback by the words of the woman I was meeting in Kabul, but impressed by the gleam of defiant determination in her eyes as she said it. We were discussing the risks faced by women human rights defenders in Afghanistan.She had explained that she was worried every time a motorcyclist pulled up near her car in traffic. But there was also a steely resolve about her commitment to continue working for the rights of her fellow Afghan women, no matter what.

We had spoken of Shokiba Sanga Amaaj and Zakia Zaki, two outspoken women journalists killed in early June. But it was clear she was not going to be intimidated. “If we want change we must continue to work, they cannot kill us all.”

I was relieved to learn that her driver had no weapon, but of course this also meant he was no bodyguard. She said that sometimes he worried about cars that were following them but she told him to ignore them and just drive fast.

In spite of the huge international presence in Afghanistan, and the billions which have been invested, the risks for those who work for human rights remain very high. And even if the defenders I met in Kabul had all faced threats they also insisted that the situation was much worse in the provinces.

The organizations which are able to work in the rural areas mostly do so in careful negotiation with local community elders and religious leaders. One Afghan community peacebuilding organization recently had a fieldworker kidnapped. They explained that kidnapping is now a business and sometimes it is criminal elements who then pass the victim on to the Taleban. They were eventually able to negotiate his release.

In Kabul I met with Kamran Mir Hazar in the office of Internews, an international media development organization, where he has been confined since being twice arbitrarily detained and interrogated by the NDS, the Afghan intelligence service. He was released on both occasions following protests by Afghan journalists, but he has been banned from publishing any report of corruption and does not feel it is safe for him to leave the compound.

Kamran's passion for freedom of expression and finding new ways for Afghans to share information and discuss issues freely shines through as he discusses how he set up and ran kabulpress.org which has exposed government corruption and war crimes. In addition to his journalism he is a keen poet and told me about how he was inspired by poets around the world including Seamus Heaney. Sadly he has decided to cease publication of kabulpress.org until the censorship imposed upon him is removed.

Several human rights defenders spoke of their fears that the Government will increase repressive measures as they lose popular credibility as a result of mismanagement and corruption. During my stay in Kabul the parliament was discussing measures to try to bring the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission under Government control as well as the abolition of the Ministry for Women's Affairs. One human rights defender spoke of having received death threats after speaking out at international fora.

Although Afghan human rights defenders spoke of the positive impact of the international community in terms of creating some space to work for human rights and women's rights they were also often critical of the coordination and effectiveness of much international assistance. There is considerable frustration at the huge sums which are perceived as being wasted, whether it is through the corruption of the local authorities, the huge profits made by non-Afghan contractors or the excessive salaries of international staff.

One of the most inspiring moments of the week was seeing the joy of a team from the Afghan Women's Skills Development Centre (AWSDC) when they returned from a 3 day workshop on women's rights with religious leaders and tribal elders in Bagram. In spite of the huge challenges of overcoming traditional attitudes which treat women as commodities they believe that they are making progress.

The AWSDC also run a shelter for women victims of violence. This is a hugely valuable resource but also brings regular death threats from families and community leaders who want the women to be returned to them. AWSDC Director Mary Akrami explained that many of those making threats have powerful connections with warlords in the parliament. She has smuggled women away from armed groups and faced down the hatred of those who have labelled her un-islamic. The women and girls who violate cultural and religious norms and disgrace their family honour often have to flee for their lives and are given refuge by Mary's centre.

In spite of the many problems faced by Afghanistan it is impossible not to be inspired by the courageous women and men who are working for human rights and a better future for their country. It is clear that maintaining and developing the space for Afghan civil society to operate independently will be crucial to building peace and sustainable progress. Unfortunately the Afghan Government has not been consistently supporting this, notwithstanding the efforts of some individuals, and the role of the international community has been mixed. As Afghan human rights defenders continue their work, in spite of the frequent threats they face, they deserve better support and protection.

Andrew Anderson is Deputy Director of Front Line: The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (www.frontlinedefenders.org) and has just returned from a visit to Kabul to meet with Afghan human rights defenders and discuss their security needs.