General

Burka power!

Afghan women take to the streets to protest government corruption

Hundreds of Afghan women, many holding aloft pictures of relatives killed by drug lords or Taliban militants, lead a loud but nonviolent street protest in Kabul, demanding that President Hamid Karzai purge from his government anyone connected to corruption, war crimes or the Taliban. The protest, which also included some 500 men, was monitored by police in riot gear as it worked its way to the United Nations building who did nothing to disrupt the event. The event comes as Karzai faces increasing pressure to remove anyone linked to the rampant corruption in the country from his cabinet. “These women are being very brave,” the protest leader, her face hidden by a burka told the Los Angeles Times. “To be a woman in Afghanistan and an activist can mean death. We want justice for our loved ones!”

L.A. Times

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