Malalai Joya Author

Malalai Joya was four days old when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Following a childhood spent in refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan she returned to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan in the late 90s and worked for underground organisations promoting the cause of women. In 2005 she was elected to the new parliament, making international headlines when she delivered her historic speech (see above). Since then, she has survived four assassination attempts and continued to press the cause of those who elected her. She received the International Human Rights in Film Award at Berlin in 2007, and was awarded the Anna Politkovskaya Award in 2008. Visit her website: malalaijoya.com