Freedom does not come without sacrifice — Assembly

“I had a dream to get my master's degree in law and political science and become a powerful woman in [Afghan] government, fighting for women's rights and education.” (Photo courtesy of Tamana Rizaei)

27-year-old Tamana recounts her harrowing experience imprisoned by the Taliban, her life as a student and lawyer in Afghanistan, protesting in the streets of Kabul and trying to rebuild a life after leaving Afghanistan.

Warning: This article mentions violence and imprisonment which could be triggering to some readers.

As a young girl in the countryside of Afghanistan, Tamana’s life was relatively quiet. After the fall of the Taliban in 1991, her father proudly enrolled her in school in 2001. She is the oldest of six siblings and knew, from an early age, that education was the key to her success. She loved history. “I was always in the library, always reading books — especially law and political science books,” she says.

Tamana’s education couldn’t be more different from her father’s. After completing grade nine, he began working on a farm. Knowing this, inspired Tamana to complete her studies and dream of moving to Kabul with her family and creating a comfortable life there for her parents and 6 siblings. In her third year of university, she did just that. She had two jobs and two streams of income and felt powerful.

This was the independence she had dreamed of — and unlike the reality of other Afghan girls. “My cousin was married after ninth grade,” she recalls. “By the time I was in university, she had three kids and no education.” Education offered Tamana the agency to make her own decisions and the ability to support herself and her family since her father was murdered by the Taliban in August 2019. She became her family’s support. “If I was an uneducated girl how I could help my family? It showed me how significant my education was.” After obtaining her bachelor's degree, she opened her law firm while applying for different scholarships to pursue a master’s degree. “I had a dream to get my master's degree in Law and political science and become a powerful woman in government, fighting for women's rights and education.”

“I couldn’t give up on my dreams and achievements easily. I had worked so hard to be an independent girl and the Taliban’s rules weren’t acceptable to me.”

— Tamana Rizaei

Tamana asked herself the questions all students do when applying for university: what subject should I study to become more helpful? Do I want to study here or abroad?

But then the Taliban came to power and everything she was working toward was destroyed. Young women were suddenly barred from university, banned from most jobs and restricted from public spaces. This wasn’t the life Tamana envisioned for herself, “my dreams were taken by the Taliban,” she said. “I couldn't give up on my dreams and achievements easily. I had worked so hard to be an independent girl and the Taliban’s rules weren't acceptable to me.”

She began organising and attending protests, in secret, in Kabul in September 2021, so she wouldn’t worry her family. Protesting became a weekly ritual for her. “Protesting and raising my voice was the only hope to get my human rights and my dignity back.”

It also became a way for her to know that she was not alone in her feelings of anger, despair, and fear about the future of Afghan women and girls. She, along with dozens of other women, took to the streets month after month to protest decrees that consistently stripped women of their rights — plunging them into a system known as gender apartheid.

In early 2022, Tamana arranged a protest in Kabul that seemed like all the others. But within two days, members of her group were arrested by the Taliban. She fled. She knew she needed to find a safe house, for her and her family’s safety. She went from house to house — but nowhere seemed safe, so she accepted to go to a safe house in Kabul city. One night, in the dead of winter, the Taliban attacked the house, arresting her and taking her to jail.

Inside the jail, there were days with no food or water and of course no hope anymore. Tamana and those arrested with her were interrogated for days.

After 11 days of imprisonment, a group of women were released, but Tamana was not. She suspected it was because the Taliban thought she was the leader of the protesters.

As she watched her friends return to their families, she felt hopeless. “I thought dying would be better than staying here under torture,” she recalls. “I remember thinking ‘I won’t see the sky again, I won’t see my mom or hear her voice again and my only wish was to see her once more before the Taliban kill me.”

Finally, after nearly 20 days, Tamana was released. Three days later, she left Afghanistan.

“Living as a Hazara in Afghanistan gave me the courage to fight for my rights. Otherwise, it would be impossible for me and my generation to survive.” (Photo courtesy of Tamana Rizaei)

Now, living in the United States, she’s trying to piece her life together again and return to school on her terms. Her father — her biggest supporter — was killed by the Taliban, her mother and six siblings remain in Afghanistan. All Tamana wants to do is ensure their safety, education and a good life for them.

“I got a scholarship here but it required me to quit my job and be a full-time student,” she recalls. “I thought about it for days, but a big question for me was ‘If go to the university and quit my job who will support my family?’ She made up her mind to reject the scholarship. She believed in her ability to get another scholarship or attend a different university in the U.S., but she couldn’t risk her family living without food and money.

Tamana isn’t currently attending college but supports her siblings in their English classes feels very proud of their progress, and hopes it prepares them for a scholarship abroad. Additionally, Tamana financially supports an education centre in Afghanistan — where girls learn in secret.

“Life in a new country has a lot of challenges and is not easy,” she said. “Especially if you are alone, but I see a lot of opportunities for myself here. I know I can make my wishes come true and it makes me feel hopeful.” She hopes to pursue her master’s degree and become a practising lawyer again.

“I strongly believe in our fight. I'm a survivor of a long-term genocide in Afghanistan because of my ethnicity,” she said. “Living as a Hazara in Afghanistan gave me the courage to fight for my rights. Otherwise, it would be impossible for me and my generation to survive.”

Tamana knows firsthand what women in Afghanistan are up against. “They’re fighting face to face with a terrorist group,” she said. “They’re brave and I’m sure that one day — maybe not far in the future — we will be without the Taliban again. But freedom does not come without sacrifice. You will always have to fight for your rights, and that is what Afghan women and I are doing right now.”