Iman’s Story
Iman is an Afghan lawyer and women’s rights activist from Kabul who has dedicated her career to defending women under some of the most repressive legal conditions in the world. Driven by a desire to “create fairness in my country in hopes of making a better future for women,” she pursued legal studies and graduated with a law degree from Rana University.
Following her graduation, Iman began practicing as a family lawyer, where she represented women in highly sensitive and often dangerous cases, including those seeking divorces from Taliban-affiliated husbands. Her legal advocacy placed her on the frontlines of gender justice in Afghanistan, providing representation to women whose access to legal recourse was rapidly disappearing.
Alongside her legal practice, Iman was deeply engaged in civil society organizing. Through her work with Justice for Women, she advocated for women’s rights, legal protections, and access to education. Even after the Taliban retook power in 2021, she continued organizing and participating in public protests against gender apartheid.
Iman’s advocacy came at profound personal risk. Taliban members came to her home on four separate occasions, issuing direct threats to kidnap her in retaliation for both her legal representation of women and her political activism.
By January 2022, the danger had become untenable. Her escape was long and perilous, taking her from Pakistan to Brazil and across South and Central America before ultimately reaching the United States via the Mexican border in December 2022, where she sought asylum.
Despite her profound legal experience, Iman’s law degree is not recognized in the United States. To continue defending her community and building a new life for her family, she must re-enter academic institutions and retrain within a new legal system. In the face of these barriers, Iman remains steadfast in her commitment to advancing gender justice in Afghanistan and around the world.
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