Baroness Warsi meets Malalai Joya

“I have wanted to meet Malalai Joya for a long time, and was honoured to receive her at the House of Lords."

Joya with Baroness Warsi in London

Baroness Warsi met the Afghan MP and activist Malalai Joya at the House of Lords this week. Malalai was elected in 2005 as the youngest member of the Wolesa Jirga.

After speaking out against the continued influence of warlords in Afghanistan, she was suspended from Parliament. She has survived numerous assassination attempts, but continues to campaign against corruption and violence in her country, particularly focussing on women’s issues.

Malalai was visiting London in order to receive the Anna Politkovskaya award from the charity RAW in WAR. The award is named after the Russian journalist assassinated after she exposed human rights abuses in Chechnya.

Speaking after the meeting, Baroness Warsi said:

“I have wanted to meet Malalai Joya for a long time, and was honoured to receive her at the House of Lords. She spoke simply and passionately about the problems which she believes are obscuring the passage to democracy in Afghanistan.

She told stories about children as young as five being raped, and about the difficulties faced by women. Without security, she said, there can be no safe democracy in Afghanistan.

“When I asked what we could do, she asked the British people and government to support those who want democracy in Afghanistan, against those who try to suppress democracy.

Despite the threats to her own life, she continues in her work to make our shared world a better and safer place. She is a role model for us all, and an excellent example of a Muslim woman who is as committed to her religion as she is to her country and politics.”