Ottawa – Members of Parliament (MPs) Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Elizabeth May, Heather McPherson, Marcus Powlowski, Alex Ruff, and Leah Taylor Roy have released the following press statement:
“Since October 2022, as a joint all-party effort, we have been working to assist in bringing the nine remaining Afghan women MPs still trapped in Afghanistan to safety to Canada.
“As Canadians are aware, the situation in Afghanistan grows more dangerous by the day. The Taliban continue to exhibit a complete disregard for human rights, arbitrarily arresting and often torturing those who oppose them, particularly those individuals who had prominent roles under the former Republic, including parliamentarians. Their brutal gender apartheid system now controls every aspect of life for all women and girls. No female is safe. But this is particularly so for these brave women MPs who led the way in opening up public and civic space for women and girls under the previous Afghan government.
“Unfortunately, and tragically, over the weekend we have learned of the murder of Mursal Nabizada in her home. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family, friends, and the eight still trapped Afghan women MPs.
“As Canada has been involved in encouraging and mentoring women MPs in Afghanistan, we believe we have a moral responsibility to help them now. For the sake of the lives of these eight women, we urge the Canadian government to act on this matter urgently and take immediate action to assist in getting these women to safety.”
