By Oyintari Ben
An Afghan former lawmaker and one of her bodyguards were killed by gunmen in a late-night attack at her residence, according to the police on Sunday.
When the Taliban overthrew the US-backed government in August 2021, Mursal Nabizada was a member of Parliament.
According to Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran, “Nabizada was shot dead at her home, along with one of her bodyguards.”
He said that a brother of the former MP had also been wounded in the attack, which had occurred over the course of the night between Saturday and Sunday. “The security forces have initiated a serious inquiry into the event,” he said.
Former lawmaker Mariam Solaimankhil wrote on Twitter that Nabizada was a “fearless warrior for Afghanistan.”
“A true trailblazer – strong, outspoken woman who stood for what she believed in, even in the face of danger,” she wrote.
“Despite being offered the chance to leave Afghanistan, she chose to stay and fight for her people,” she added.
Nabizada, 32, a Kabul-based member of parliament since 2018, was a native of the eastern province of Nangarhar.
A member of the European Parliament named Hannah Neumann tweeted in response to the murder, “I am heartbroken and enraged and want the world to know!”
“She was murdered in the dead of night, while the Taliban constructed their system of gender segregation in broad daylight.”
In the two decades following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, women have held major positions across Afghan culture, with many of them rising to the ranks of judges, journalists, and legislators.
However, since the Taliban regained control of the government, many women in these occupations have left the nation.
Women have been swiftly barred from practically all facets of public life by the Taliban government, including secondary and higher education, employment in the public sector, and even access to public parks and baths.
Additionally, they have mandated that women cover their bodies in public, ideally with a full-body burqa.
