malalai joya needs your help!

you can read and view this courageous young woman's struggle at http://www.malalaijoya.com/index1024.htm. she needs all the international exposure she can get right now to protect her from those who want to kill her and silence her. on the site there are email addresses for the president of afghanistan and other officials. here is the letter i wrote:

Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 22:03:03 -0400 (EDT)
From: Peter Ladage
Subject: Concern for Malalai Joya
To: president@afghanistangov.org
Cc: aquddus@supremecourt.gov.af, hasib-n786@yahoo.com, moinews@gmail.com,
wahed.moi@gmail.com, info@moj.gov.af, hidayatr@moj.gov.af,
mj@malalaijoya.com

Dear Mr. President,

I am greatly troubled to learn of the expulsion of one of the members of your parliament, Malalai Joya, and that death threats are being uttered against her.

I am sure that your great country honours the will of the people who elected Ms. Joya to represent them. I understand that she has done much good for the poor and the children of Farah, and that she is much loved and respected.

As you know, Malalai Joya is greatly respected around the world, and her humanitarian efforts bring much respect to your great country.

I am sure that as President you will do everything in your power to protect this honoured citizen and restore this parliamentarian to her seat in your legislature.

Most sincerely and humbly,

Peter Ladage,
Canada

i also wrote to our government.


who is malalai joya?

from Human Rights Watch (http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/05/23/afghan15995.htm):

The Afghan parliament should immediately reinstate Malalai Joya, a member suspended for criticizing colleagues, and revise parliamentary procedures that restrict freedom of speech, Human Rights Watch said today.

Joya, 28, is the youngest member of the Afghan legislature. As a 19-year-old refugee in Pakistan, she taught literacy courses to other Afghan women. During the Taliban years, she ran an orphanage and health clinic in Afghanistan. In 2003, she gained international attention for speaking out publicly against warlords involved in drafting the Afghan Constitution. Two years later, she was the top vote-getter from Farah province in Afghanistan's parliamentary elections, and was easily elected to the lower house of the legislature.

Since her election, Joya has continued to be an outspoken defender and promoter of the rights of Afghan women and children. She has also continued to publicly call for accountability for war crimes, even those perpetrated by fellow parliamentarians.

Joya has survived four assassination attempts, travels with armed guards and reportedly never spends two nights in the same place.