Women in Burkas Surround Afghan Embassy in Washington DC
by Sara Cantrell - Afghan Wire News | 12.09.2006 10:32 | Repression | World
"America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense, it is the other way around. Human rights invented America." - President Jimmy Carter
Following that credo, on September 11, 2006, American women handcuffed and chained themselves to the Afghan Embassy in Washington, DC to protest against Hamid Karzai's oppressive government. A spokeswoman stated that this was "just the start of demonstrations against the Afghan Embassy in Washington to protest President Karzai's illegal imprisonment of innocent Americans and treatment of Afghan women." The women also announced that demonstrations will take place at the Afghan embassies in Washington and London on October 12th, 2006.
American Women Chained to Afghan Embassy on 9/11/2006
There is no greater symbol of the oppression and horror of Afghanistan than the Burka. Afghanistan is the only country in the world in which the Burka is worn nationwide (in some Afghan areas of Pakistan, women still wear the Burka).
Speaking for FREE THEM NOW, the spokeswoman said "We demand justice, and if it takes a dozern Burkas surrounding the Afghan Embassy on September 11th 2006, then 300 Burkas surrounding the Afghan Embassy on October 12th, the anniversary of the first bomb being dropped on the Taliban in the war of liberation, and then 1000 more Burkas surrounding the Afghan Embassy on November 12, 2006, the anniversary of the American liberation of Kabul, then we will do it. But the terror and oppression must be stopped."
"When a woman wears a Burka she demonstrates her subservient submission to men. This is what Mr. Karzai wants. Women and men must submit to his total authority in his government. No court, no minister, no policeman, prosecutor, or official will disagree with Mr. Karzai, for if they do, they are fired immediately, and later arrested in many cases. Mr. Karzai has built a complete dictatorship under the very nose of the international community. His secret police run rampant with political arrests, and even run torture chambers just a few miles from Mr. Karzai's palace."
Afghan security was prepared to arrest the American women until photographers showed up from the Washington Post and Polaris Images. Once news crews were there, a senior Afghan official, Mr. Fazel Fazel, Embassy Political Officer, was quoted as saying, "God no, God no, don't let the press photograph American police touching women in Burkas." The DC Metro Police refused to interfere in what the DC Chief of Police called a peaceful expression protected under the First Amendment. For More info:
http://www.AfghanInjustice.com
(pictures of today's Washington Demonstration courtesy of Polaris Images)
http://www.AfghanInjustice.com/politics.htm
From the Afghan Injustice Website:
9/11/2006- TODAY- The First Demonstrations Take Place When American Women Chain and Handcuff Themselves to the Afghan Embassy in Washington
to protest President Karzai's illegal imprisonment of innocent American Green Berets
On 10/12/06- 300 More Women will Chain Up to the Afghan Embassies in London and Washington DC.
On 11/12/2006- 1000 More Women will form a chain around the Afghan Embassies. Each month it will grow until they hear our voices.
by Sara Cantrell - Afghan Wire News
Homepage:
http://www.AfghanInjustice.com