Canada calls for justice after ex-Afghan lawmaker Mursal NabizadaA fierce advocate for women and girls was killed in the area Kabul home on sunday.
In a joint statement sent to Global News late Monday, both the office of Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie and the office of Immigration Minister Sean Fraser condemned the violence as a “horrible crime.”
“We condemn the killing of Mursal Nabizada, a former Afghan parliamentarian who bravely fought for the rights of women and girls,” the statement said.
“We offer our most sincere condolences to his loved ones. We stand with them in holding them to the accountability they deserve. The perpetrators of this heinous crime must be brought to justice.”
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The former lawmaker was shot dead by gunmen in his Kabul home on Sunday – the first killing of a lawmaker from the previous administration in the capital since the Taliban takeover
Nabizada was one of the few women parliamentarians who stayed in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Police say one of his bodyguards was also killed in Sunday’s attack.
The example Nabizada set, the ministers’ offices wrote, “will continue to be an inspiration to those fighting for change and human rights around the world.”
“Canada will continue to advocate for a coordinated effort by the international community to support Afghan women and Afghan human rights defenders, and to pressure the Taliban to uphold human rights,” the statement said.
Nabizada’s killing has prompted a new wave of calls for Afghan women – who were parliamentarians before the Taliban takeover – to be brought to Canada.
An all-party group of six MPs issued a joint statement on Monday saying they have worked together since last October to protect the remaining female former MPs. The “brutal gender apartheid system” in Afghanistan, he said, is becoming more dangerous by the day.
“For the sake of the lives of these eight women, we urge the Government of Canada to look into this matter and take immediate action to help bring these women to safety,” the statement said.
In a statement sent to Global News, the ministers’ offices reiterated the government’s pledge to resettle “at least 40,000 Afghan nationals by the end of 2023”.
“Nearly 30,000 Afghan refugees now call Canada home. They include hundreds of women leaders, including judges, human rights defenders, journalists, community organizers and members of parliament.
“We will continue to do everything possible to safely and quickly welcome back Afghans.”
That effort, the statement said, includes working with opposition MPs on the issue – and “bringing more women leaders to Canada.”
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Still, some opposition MPs questioned whether the government’s efforts were enough. In a tweet on SundayNDP MP Heather McPherson – one of the MPs behind the joint, all-party statement – called Nabizada’s killing “heartbreaking”.
“For months I have worked with MPs from all parties to bring Afghan MPs trapped in Afghanistan safely to Canada,” he wrote.
“I can’t help but wonder if MP Nabizada would be alive today if the government had not acted faster.”
Meanwhile, with each passing day, the Taliban continue their crackdown on women’s rights in the region.
Following their takeover, the Taliban initially stated that they would not impose the same harsh rules on society as they had during their first rule of Afghanistan in the late 1990s.
But they have placed progressively more restrictions, especially on women.
He has banned women and girls from schooling after the sixth grade, barred them from most jobs and demanded that they cover their faces when outside.
– The Canadian Press, with files from The Associated Press.
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