Refugee Afghan Judge Marzia’s story soon to be published as a book

The extraordinary story that began with Marzia Babakarkhail hiding in a sewer to escape execution by the Taliban has now become the foundation for her forthcoming memoir, Marzia: A Judge’s Fight for Afghan Women’s Rights (HarperCollins, 2026). The book chronicles her journey from a young family court judge in northern Afghanistan—one of only 26 women in the role in the 1990s—to a global advocate for women’s rights and justice.

In her original Orato World Media story, “Forced from my homeland by the Taliban, my fight continues from the UK,” Marzia recounts how “I escaped into the sewers in an alleyway behind the house, while my parents and siblings remained inside… I knew the Taliban men had come to kill me.” Her firsthand account of survival and resilience captures the moment her life changed forever.

“I huddled in the sewer for four hours, surrounded by dirt and stench, flies biting me all over. I knew the Taliban men had come to kill me.”

From starting a women’s shelter in Afghanistan to being “run over with a car to try and silence me”, Marzia’s courage and conviction shine through every line. After fleeing to the UK, she fought for refugee status and began rebuilding her life, determined that “the Taliban can force me out of my country, but they cannot force me to change my mind.

Her upcoming book, co-authored with journalist Pamela Say, expands on this powerful testimony—detailing Marzia’s continued work to support Afghan women judges now living under threat, and her belief that “my spirit will not die before my body does.”

What began as a single verified first-person story of survival has become a global call to action for women’s rights and justice—proof that truth, once spoken, can inspire change far beyond the moment it is told.

Afghan judge & activist survives Taliban assassination to run for political office in UK

Marzia served as a judge in PuliKhumri Baghlan, Afghanistan from 1991-1998. She established the Afghan Women Social and Cultural Organization and served as chairperson of the women’s committee ANCB.

When Marzia became a target of Taliban aggression, she fled first to Pakistan and then the United Kingdom as an asylum seeker.

She achieved refugee status in 2009 and British citizenship in 2016. Since she is now a part-time case worker in the UK parliament, lobbyist, and campaigner, based on the compelling story Orato published originally she is  releasing her account in a book with the support of the University of Nebraska Press, US.