The Taliban in Afghanistan are denying girls and women access to education and science. After the Taliban took power in August 2021, the security situation for female researchers deteriorated dramatically. Dr Suhailah Akbari, a legal scholar, was also directly threatened and had to leave the country with her two daughters. After enduring days of uncertainty and fear at Kabul airport, she managed to escape to Germany with the assistance of the German Bundeswehr, ultimately finding refuge there.
The Taliban in Afghanistan are denying girls and women access to education and science. After the Taliban took power in August 2021, the security situation for female researchers deteriorated dramatically. Dr Suhailah Akbari, a legal scholar, was also directly threatened and had to leave the country with her two daughters. After enduring days of uncertainty and fear at Kabul airport, she managed to escape to Germany with the assistance of the German Bundeswehr, ultimately finding refuge there.
In this interview, conducted by Frank Albrecht, Suhailah Akbari shares her insights on the state of women’s rights in Afghanistan, her journey to Germany, and her experiences as a researcher living in exile.
The project is being carried out by the science communication agency con gressa in cooperation with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the “Science Year 2024 – Freedom”.
Additional resources and information on academic freedom: Scholars at Risk, Free to Think 2023 – Report of the Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Monitoring Project : https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/resources/free-to-think-2023/ Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Academic Freedom Index: https://academic-freedom-index.net/