Meena Mangal, Afghan TV Journalist And Activist, Shot Dead

Former Afghan TV journalist Meena Mangal was shot dead on Friday by unidentified gun men. She had left journalism to become the cultural adviser to the parliament.

Mangal was an outspoken activist for the rights of women. She had on various occasions talked about the right to education for girls. She had many social media pages in which discussed the rights of women, she had also spoken about women-related issues many times on various platforms. Mangal defended the rights which every girl deserves.

She was shot dead in Eastern Kabul in the broad daylight. Her family blames her ex-husband of the crime. However, it is not clear who is behind the murder.

Meena Mangal was a former TV journalist who left her journalism profession to become a cultural adviser to the parliament.

Prominent women’s rights activist Wazhma Frogh said, “Meena Mangal had recently written on social media that she felt her life was threatened. The plight of women in Afghanistan has been pulled into focus in recent months, as many in the war-torn country worry that hard-won rights for women will be lost if the US makes a peace deal with the Taliban.”

Meena Mangal's killing has led to the venting of a lot of grief and anger from other women rights activists. The anger was towards the authorities and the government, who had not given her the protection she should have got when she received threats. Her work had impacted society so deeply that her death has been grieved by the world. Her contribution will not be forgotten.

Najiba Laima had tweeted…

Afghanistan – Former journalist and cultural advisor Meena Mangal shot dead! Pic credit - Twitter

Furthermore, a police investigation has begun, in order to understand the intent behind her killing. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the crime. It was also not immediately known why she had been targeted. However, her family does have a few people they suspect of killing this former journalist.

“Crime in Kabul has grown steadily worse in recent years, adding to the many stresses for residents in a city where terrorist attacks are a frequent occurrence.”

In contrast to the scenario from the time of the Taliban dictatorship in Afghanistan, women are a lot freer. However, they still are marginalised and are not always given the rights they deserve. Many women fear that if the Taliban return, the few rights they have might be taken away from them. We can only hope that this does not happen.

We wait for Mangal to get the justice she deserves and that the world does not forget the work done by her to fight for the rights of women. She truly was an inspiration for everyone in the war-ravaged country.

Read also - How Women Lawyers Are Fighting Gender Discrimination in Afghanistan’s Judicial System

Kavya Shah is an intern at SheThePeople.Tv