Female Afghan judge says she was hunted by men she jailed

A female Afghan judge says she was hunted by men she jailed after the Taliban took over the country.

“Four or five Taliban members came and asked people in my house: ‘Where is this woman judge?’ These were people who I had put in jail,” the woman, who was not identified, told Reuters.

Foreign colleagues at the International Association of Women Judges and other human rights workers helped the woman leave the country. 

The woman was able to get out of the country during evacuations and escape the danger she faced, but many other female judges are still trapped in Afghanistan.

International colleagues and activists told the outlet they are working to get all 250 female judges in the country out due to fear for their safety.

When the Taliban took control of the country, many prisoners were released who were sentenced by female judges.

The decision to release the inmates “really put the lives of women judges in danger,” the woman told Reuters.

“Their messages are of fear and complete terror. They tell me if they do not get rescued their lives are in direct danger,” she said of other judges she has had contact with who are still in the country.

Women are particularly vulnerable under the rule of the Taliban with those in high-profile job positions becoming a target for the group.

The Taliban has claimed it will respect women’s rights, but few believe the group as the last time it ruled the country women were not allowed to be educated or work.

Many women, including in the media industry, have already stopped working either due to fear of retaliation or from direct threats from the Taliban. 

The difficulty of getting individuals out of the country has increased since the U.S. left the country Tuesday.