From September 25, 2024, Shakiba, a member of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), visited Italy for two months at the invitation of the Italian Organization for the Coordination of Support for Afghan Women (CISDA) and ISP (Insieme Si Può – "Together We Can"). During this tour, she was invited to over 15 cities to participate in meetings, conferences, public gatherings, and discussions with students, university faculty, and the general public. Additionally, she conducted numerous interviews with journalists from print and broadcast media, which were widely disseminated.
Since August 15, 2021, handover of the power to brutal Taliban, Western and regional governments have disgracefully attempted to "engage" with the bloodthirsty and medieval Taliban regime—effectively legitimizing it through diplomatic normalization and portraying Afghanistan’s situation as stable. The participation of RAWA members in international programs and conferences serves as an opportunity to inform the world about the actual conditions in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. It also exposes U.S. policies and those of its allies, revealing how the CIA continues to deceive the world while remaining the primary patron and financier of the Taliban.
In all conferences and programs, in addition to delivering comprehensive speeches, Shakiba engaged in Q&A sessions with attendees, and video clips showcasing RAWA’s activities and Afghan women’s struggles were displayed.
In her speeches, the RAWA representative strongly emphasized:
"The U.S. invaded Afghanistan under the pretext of freedom, democracy, women’s rights, and the fight against terrorism, in collaboration with NATO. Over the past twenty years, it installed corrupt and treacherous puppet governments. The Afghan cabinet and parliament consisted of jihadist, traitorous, and nation-selling elements who did nothing but plunder public wealth, engage in widespread corruption, commit crimes, and pursue their own ambitions. More than 93% of the world’s drugs were produced in Afghanistan. NATO forces, under the guise of fighting terrorism, slaughtered our defenseless men and women by bombing Afghan cities. Hundreds of Afghan security forces were killed daily. In Taliban and ISIS suicide attacks, thousands of our compatriots lost their lives, along with countless other pains and sufferings.
The disastrous state of corrupt rulers and Ashraf Ghani’s orders to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners paved the way for the return of these terrorists. Ultimately, through disgraceful backdoor dealings during the Doha meetings—brokered by Khalilzad and some treacherous jihadists—power was handed over to the Taliban under the name of ‘peace negotiations.’ In this way, the U.S. and other foreign governments involved in Afghanistan deceived the world and handed power to the very terrorists they had supposedly ‘fought’ for twenty years. No matter how much the U.S. tries to rebrand and whitewash the Taliban, the suffering people of Afghanistan will never forgive or forget. Afghans now recognize the true nature of fundamentalists, no matter what name or disguise they take. The ideology and essence of these criminals will never change. Justice for our devastated masses will only be achieved through prosecuting both the Taliban and the criminal jihadists.
While we ourselves are burning in the fire of fundamentalism, we also condemn the massacre of the people of Palestine and Lebanon by the criminal and Zionist Israeli government, and we stand in solidarity with these heroes. By supporting global anti-imperialist struggles, we express our solidarity with the fighters of Iran, Kurdistan, and Palestine."
The RAWA representative, in addition to attending various in-person programs, was also invited to several online events to speak on behalf of the mourning women of Afghanistan.
Highlights of the Trip
September 26-29: Participation in the "I Play" festival, organized by ISP, the theater company "Teatro Febbre," and young photographer Indra Caldart. In addition to delivering a speech and meeting the event organizers, the representative engaged in discussions with activists and volunteers from various organizations.
October 3: Attendance at the inauguration of Saffron Tea by the Italian company "Pompadour" in Bolzano.
October 6: Meeting with CISDA members for their annual gathering in Milan, followed by discussions with feminist and democratic organizations at the Women's House in Milan.
October 12: Participation in a conference in Rome titled "End Gender Discrimination", featuring voices of resistance from Iran and Afghanistan, as well as representatives from CISDA and Amnesty International.
October 16: Meeting with several members of the Italian Parliament from the Democratic Party in Rome.
October 14: Meeting with the members of the Provincial Committee of the "National Association of Italian Partisans" (ANPI) in Rome.
October 18: One of the programs about Afghanistan near the city of Ferrara, Italy.
October 19: RAWA was awarded the Daniele Po International Award, an annual award given to a courageous woman from a war-torn country. The award ceremony took place in Bologna City Hall, a historic landmark.
During her trip to the city of Bologna in connection with this prestigious award, Shakiba participated in dozens of events meeting with people, schools, universities, and organizations supporting the Kurds, which were mainly organized by the "Association of the Houses of the Angels of Danilo" and the "Strada" organization.
October 24: Speech in front of a large gathering of high school students in Cinto at the "Pendolera" theater, opened by the city's deputy mayor. A young actress performed a story titled "Nasrin", depicting the tragic reality of Afghan girls' lives under Taliban rule.
October 23: Speech at the auditorium of the Institute of Technology and Journalism in Bologna.
October 23: Participation in an online program of the "Equal Opportunities" Commission of the municipalities of Bologna and Cento.
October 23: Meeting with the Kurdish organization "Rete Jin" in the city of Marzabotto, during which the translation of Meena's poem "I Will Never Return" was also recited by a young girl.
October 25: Visit to a garden in the city of Ferrara, named after the Italian journalist Ilaria Alpi. She was murdered in Mogadishu, Somalia, along with her photographer by a smuggling gang due to her reporting on the trafficking of toxic waste from Italy to Mogadishu, in which the Italian military is said to have been involved.
October 25: Speech to a gathering of professors and students at the Institute of Agriculture in Ferrara.
November 12: Speech before master's and Ph.D. students and professors at the Institute of Information and Public Policy in Lugano, Switzerland.
November 25: On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a member of RAWA met with a group of students and professors at the Institute of Humanities in Milan. The discussion focused on the Constitution of Afghanistan and international laws related to women's rights. The speech primarily addressed the situation of Afghan women under the misogynistic rule of the Taliban.
During the panel, one of the Italian speakers discussed Afghanistan's constitution and described it as an achievement of the United States. In response, the RAWA member rejected this claim, stating that the U.S., by supporting fundamentalist and terrorist groups, has itself been a violator of international laws and conventions.
November 28: Participation in a conference organized by the "Association of Democratic Lawyers", alongside representatives from the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement. The event included speeches and the playing of a song based on the poem "I Will Never Return" by RAWA's martyred founder, Meena.
November 29: Participation in a conference organized by ISP and the organization FIDAPA (Italian Federation of Women in Arts, Professions, and Business).
November 29: A brief speech at the concert of the famous Italian singer Chiara Luppi and her band in the city of Belluno, where the funds raised from ticket sales were donated to RAWA.
December 2: Meeting with students from the Zanussi Institute in Pordenone, focusing on Afghanistan’s contemporary history. Many high school students, upon hearing Shakiba speak about Afghan girls being deprived of education, were deeply moved and brought to tears.
December 5: Participation in a panel discussion on women’s voices of resistance, featuring representatives from Iran, Afghanistan, and Kurdistan, hosted by Italy’s largest trade union (CGIL).
Throughout all events, a literature and crafts table was set up, featuring Italian translations of books such as "Meena, Heroine of Afghanistan" by Melody Ermachild, Afghan saffron, and colorful handicrafts. The proceeds from these sales were donated to CISDA in support of RAWA.
