Exclusive Interview with Mehr Mursal Amiri: 'In Hiding With Hope'

Forced into hiding after being ordered off air by the Taliban at gunpoint, Mehr Mursal Amiri, 24, was ordered 'to go home, remain there and never return' after militant Islamists burst into Afghanistan's National TV network RTA's studios in Kabul, as female news anchors are now banned from the air. She was also berated for wearing make-up and refusing to wear a hijab. Mehr, who is in her final year of a law degree, says, “Everything has changed and for the worse. Democracy is over and the future is very dark, particularly for women in my country.” We spoke from her place in hiding. What follows is the full, unfiltered and unedited conversation. A known and trusted news anchor, beloved by Afghans, Mehr is young enough to be my daughter. Her heart and hope mirroring my own make her a daughter by virtue. - Allié M. Featured in: ‘The Source Edition’ of AwareNow Magazine Topic: Human Rights Produced by: Awareness Ties Featuring: Mehr Mursal Amiri Narrated by: Allié Merrick McGuire Podcast Soundtrack by: Thavius Beck Episode Soundtrack by: Sol Rising