Outspoken

Sima Samar has been fighting for equality and justice all her life. Born into a polygamous family, she learned early that girls had inferior status and had to agree to an arranged marriage to go to university. By the time she was in medical school, she was both a mother and a revolutionary. Samar’s work as a doctor for those most desperate for help – namely women in far flung, mountainous regions – put her in grave personal danger. After her husband was disappeared by the pro-Russian regime, she faced a choice: accept the injustices she saw around her or fight for a better Afghanistan.Despite numerous death threats and decades of catastrophic warfare, Samar has worked tirelessly for the dream she is convinced is achievable: justice and human rights for all citizens of Afghanistan.In this poignant and inspiring memoir – the first inside story of Afghanistan by a woman – Samar provides an unparalleled view of her country’s past, present and extremely fragile future.

Sima Samar is a globally renowned women’s and human rights activist and doctor from Afghanistan. She established the Shuhada Organization that operated more than one hundred schools and dozens of hospitals and clinics in the country. She served as Minister of Women’s Affairs of Afghanistan and is the former chair of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. She was formerly the UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in Sudan. She is currently a visiting scholar at Tufts University’s Fletcher School Sally Armstrong is an award-winning author, journalist and human rights activist.