Name Sitara Achakzai | Role Member of Parliament | |
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Died April 12, 2009, Kandahar, Afghanistan Similar People Safia Ahmed‑jan, Malalai Kakar, Glyn Berry, Ahmed Wali Karzai, Abdul Ahad Karzai | ||
Sitara Achakzai (also transliterated Achaksai) (born 1956/1957 – died 12 April 2009) was a leading Afghan women's rights activist and a member of the regional parliament in Kandahar. She was assassinated by the Taliban.
"Achakzai" is a name shared by one of the sub-tribes of Durrani clan, part of the Pashtun people, one of the largest ethnic groups of Afghanistan. She held dual citizenship between Afghanistan and Germany, and was well known in Canada as some of her extended family live in the Toronto area.
Like Malalai Kakar and Safia Amajan, Sitara Achakzai was targeted by the Taliban because she was trying to improve the situation of Afghan women. At the age of 52, she was assassinated by Taliban gunmen in Kandahar on 12 April 2009.
The Canadian government condemned the assassination. Michaëlle Jean, the Governor General, said