Maria Bashir was the First Female Prosecutor of Herat Province, Afghanistan

By Laura Duncan on 03/15/2011 @ 12:56 PM

Did you know? In 2006 Maria Bashir became the first female Chief Prosecutor of an Afghani province.

Maria Bashir was one of the 10 recipients of the US Department of State International Women of Courage Awards. She was the first woman to be Chief Prosecutor of Herat Province in Afghanistan, and is another example of a woman who has broken barriers in a male dominated environment.

When Bashir was applying for graduate school, she found three blank spaces in which to list her preferred options for course of study. She wrote “Law” in all three of them, because she was sure that was the right path for her. After finishing her studies, Bashir began working as a criminal investigator in Kabul province, a position she later occupied in Herat province after moving there with her husband. When the Taliban took over control of the country, Bashir was forced by the new government to leave her job and remain inside of her home. But that was not enough to stop her, and during this period Bashir coordinated an underground school for girls in her house.

After the fall of the Taliban regime, Bashir returned to her work as a criminal investigator. She became known for her courage after trying to prosecute a man for his wife’s death. The man had admitted to beating his wife, but refused to confess to her killing. Although this man was never officially charged with murder, Bashir’s bravery in attempting to charge him made her notorious among her community.

One day the Attorney General of Afghanistan, a man known for his religious conservatism, visited her office. Event though Bashir was told to refrain from talking to him, she gathered up the courage to stand up during an event and ask him whether he would be willing to nominate a woman as Chief Prosecutor. In a surprising response, the Attorney General told Bashir that yes, he was willing to choose a woman. In fact, a short time later, he chose Bashir.

Since she became Chief Prosecutor, Bashir has received numerous death threats to herself and her family. Her house has been bombed. Her two children are homeschooled because it is too dangerous for them to leave the house. Nonetheless, she continues her work, making sure that justice reaches women as well as men, and providing hope and guidance to many women and girls in Afghanistan. Her courage and strength are an example to us all.

On March 8th, Maria Bashir was honored with an International Women of Courage Award, presented by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. For more information on the Award, see our previous blog post.

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