In Afghanistan murderers hunt female judges who convicted them in pre-Taliban regime

While speaking to a media, Afghan women judges, who handed out jail sentences to murderers and other criminals, have now gone into hiding fearing retribution from the convicts who are among the thousands of criminals freed by the Taliban after their takeover of the country last month.

Kabul (Afghanistan): Afghan women judges, who handed out jail sentences to murderers and other criminals, have now gone into hiding fearing retribution from the convicts who are among the thousands of criminals freed by the Taliban after their takeover of the country last month.

Since the Taliban took control over 220 female Afghan judges have gone into hiding, reported EuroWeekly. Many female judges who had fought for women's rights in Afghanistan are now in hiding. They are in fear of their lives and have received death threats.

Speaking to a UK-based media, one former judge told of how she has had to flee. Masooma, whose name has been changed, has seen hundreds of men convicted during her career. Many of these men have been convicted for murder, torture and rape.

Since the Taliban took over and the criminals were released Masooma and many of the judges have been receiving death threats, reported EuroWeekly. "It was midnight when we heard the Taliban had freed all the prisoners from jail. Immediately we fled. We left our home and everything behind," she said.

"Travelling by car out of the city, I wore a burka, so no one would recognise me. Fortunately, we made it past all the Taliban checkpoints," added Masooma. Masooma's neighbours contacted her to say that the Taliban had been at her house looking for her.

Masooma recently sentenced one man to 20 years in prison. She had found him guilty of murdering his wife, reported EuroWeekly. "After the case was over, the criminal approached me and said, 'When I get out of prison, I will do to you what I did to my wife," said Masooma.

"At the time I didn't take him seriously. But since the Taliban took power, he has called me many times and said he has taken all of my information from the court offices. "He told me, 'I will find you and have my revenge," she added. Taliban had earlier pledged to give general amnesty to Afghan officials who worked for the previous government of Afghanistan.

ANI