A British barrister has raised over £1 million ($1.37m) to transport more than 100 female Afghan judges to safety.
Baroness Helena Kennedy organised planes and airlifts to rescue the women and their families from Kabul to take them to Athens.
The UK lawyer spoke to Greece's President Katerina Sakellaropoulou — a high court judge and the country's first female president — and asked for her help.
The women and their families are now staying in hotels in Athens.
Baroness Kennedy described it as “Schindler’s List time”, in a reference to the 1993 Steven Spielberg film.
“These women were in mortal danger,” she said. “They were running courts on things like domestic violence and child marriage and many of them locked up Taliban. As soon as the Taliban came back they had to flee.”
Three flights have so far taken more than 100 judges and their families to safety.
She is urging UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to help her support the judges.
The Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (Arap) initially stated judges were eligible under the scheme but it no longer includes this group.
Baroness Kennedy is director of human rights for the International Bar Association which had helped train female lawyers and judges in Afghanistan.
She is appealing for help so that a further 100 judges and their families can find sanctuary.
Almost 300 women have sat as judges in Afghanistan in the last 20 years.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
