FEEL LIKE CRYING? COUSIN OF AFGANISTAN WOMAN BEATEN BY TALIBAN ON WAY TO KABUL AIRPORT TO APPEAR ON WVOX WITH PAUL FEINER FRIDAY

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER From Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner. August 25, 2021

 Attorney, single woman, someone disabled by a roadside bomb needs help getting out of Afghanistan

This memo will make you cry!  Professor Sheldon Malev is a Professor at Westchester Community College. One of his favorite former students, Sophia Bator, has a cousin who is desperately trying to get out of Afghanistan. Today HER COUSIN was beaten up by the Taliban on the way to the airport. 

I invited Sophia and Sheldon to appear on my WVOX radio program this Friday from 10 AM to 11 AM (1460 AM or www.wvox.com).  Have also been in contact with Senator Charles Schumer’s office asking their office to help. And, Sophia and Sheldon have been in contact with Congressman Mondaire Jones who is also trying to help.

Some residents of Greenburgh may know people who can help this brave, young, Afghanistan attorney who only wants one thing: a better life for herself. She is disabled from a road bomb.  Read her story.

If she succeeds in coming to the United States I hope to organize a group of people who can “adopt” her –and help her in her efforts to have a good life.  If you know anyone in the state department…anyone in Afghanistan who can help her…have any other ideas please advise.  I can put you in contact with her cousin who lives in Westchester.

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Town Supervisor 

My name is Sofia Bator and I am from Afghanistan. I’m desperately trying to help my Cousin from Kabul. She is a young woman who graduated from Law School and became a Women Rights Activist in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.  Four years ago she suffered major injuries when a roadside bomb exploded killing several of her co-workers and severely injuring her. Before the Taliban took over the city of Kabul she was working with the Afghan Government under the local Department of Combating Corruption.

> Now my cousin is hiding in a small room unprotected trying to escape from the Taliban. She fears that she will be torture, sexually abused or killed by the Taliban if she gets capture. She is desperately asking for help as her time is running out.

> I’m currently here in New York contacting all the Senators and Congressmen to help save my cousin. My college professor Dr. Sheldon Malev

> Thank You

> Sofia Bator

(I deleted her name  for security reasons but Sofia is available to speak…)

        I was born in the village of Dawlat Abad in the north of Afghanistan. I’m the only child from my parents and the first woman from my family to attend school and higher education. We are from a small village that has no running water, no electricity, no hospital, no teachers and far away even from a main road. Due to our poverty situation my parents have always work hard in farms, cleaning houses and caring for life livestock. They put all of their money and send me to Kabul for me to have the opportunity to go to school.

Seeking for a better future I study very hard and worked at the same time to help with my expenses and send little money back to my parents. I was grateful that the presence of the United States army kept Kabul safe for women. Many young girls like me we had the chance to have a higher education and for the time our dreams were slowly becoming a reality.

After graduating from Kabul University, I joined a group of Women’s Rights Activists in Mazar-i-Sharif. Our mission was to provide books and school supplies to small villages in the north. We focused on all the children but especially young girls who were marginalized from education. Our focus was also to teach the mothers about safety, feminine hygiene and giving them access to any resources available for them. One day I was traveling in a vehicle to a small village and all of the sudden I heard an extreme loud noise and the vehicle I was in started rolling. In seconds I could not hear or see anything and the extreme pain on my body blackout my mind. When I became conscious, I could not move my legs, my hip was in extreme pain and I had blood all over my body. I was paralyzed.

For one year I was paralyzed as the doctors informed me that my hip and legs were almost shattered. I also learned that the cause of the vehicle rolling and burning was due to a roadside bomb that the Taliban had placed killing and injuring many of my coworker. Now after several surgeries and with the help of my parents who sold all of their animals to pay the medical bills I’m slowly recovering.

I did not give up and I continue my work as an Afghan woman rights activist. I work at the same time with Department of Combating Corruption in Afghanistan. I was in my office and everyone started running around burning all documents in small flower pots. Everyone scared, terrified screaming

“Taliban has surrounded Kabul, run for your life”. Few minutes later I was informed that president Ashraf Ghani had run away and left the country to Taliban invasion. As I get out of the office suddenly, I saw an army of Taliban with machine guns approaching towards me and everyone in the street run away.   

I got myself to safety, and enter my little room that I rent in Kabul. Immediately locked my door and block it with a table. I have been unable to get out as I’m alone with no protection as young woman. From a small window I see Taliban with their machine guns walking the streets and often I hear gunshots. Several times my door has been knocked with force but I have made no noise to make them believe no one is living here. My food and water are running out as I eat little pieces of bread once a day. At night every few hours the silence is broken by several gunshots. To my tragedy the landlord of the building has asked me to leave the room ASAP as the Taliban had order him that no single women without men companion is allow to live by herself. At this time, I’m without food, money or shelter and I fear for my life.

I desperately ask everyone for help to save my life. I’m a young woman without any protection and in grave danger to be taken by Taliban. My time is running out please help me. If Taliban captures me, I will be torture, beaten, sexually abuses or killed. I will appreciate any help possible to please get me out of here. I have tried to call all the embassies but no one has able to help me. And this is not how I see my future as I prefer to end my life before being capture by this evil regime.

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