First paragraph (Teaser):

In Quebec City, September 9, 2006, Malalai Joya came to publicly denounce the crimes committed by the current Afghan regime and the complicity of the US regime.

Thanks to the Collectif Échec à la guerre (Quebec) for sharing it far and wide.

Rest of the text:

Malalai Joya's speech

NDP Federal Convention
September 9, 2006
Québec

In the name of Democracy and Peace,

Dear friends,

I bring you the warmest greetings of Afghan people and before I speak of the situation in my country, let me express my heartfelt thanks to friends of the New Democratic Party for remembering their Afghan sisters and inviting me to this gathering.

Honorable friends,

Five years after the collapse of the misogynist and anti-democracy regime of the Taliban, and after almost five year of the US led attack on Afghanistan; you may like me to describe the achievements and positive outcomes in Afghanistan, but I'm sorry to tell you that Afghanistan is a land still burning in two-fold fire.

The US government did remove the medieval-minded regime of Taliban and their Al Qaeda masters. But instead they brought back the "Northern Alliance" to power who are brothers-in-creed of the Taliban and as brutal and anti-democracy as Taliban and even worse.

In December 2003, as a representative to the grand assembly, I talked about the criminal "Northern Alliance" and the danger they would pose to Afghanistan. But today, even the UN accepts that Afghanistan is going to become a narco-state under their rule.

I must tell you that unfortunately there has been NO fundamental change in the plight of Afghan people. When the entire nation is living under the shadow of gun and warlordism, how can its women enjoy very basic freedoms? Unlike the propaganda raised by certain Western media, Afghan women and man are not “liberated" at all.

Let's describe the tip of the iceberg on the reality of life is in my crying country:

According to the United Nations it is a land that is facing health disaster worse than Tsunami. 700 children and 50-70 women die on daily basis owing to the lack of health services. Child and mother mortality rate is still very high as 1,600 to 1,900 women among each 100,000 die during childbirth. Life expectancy is below 45 years.

Suicide among Afghan women goes high in terrible degree, according to recent UNIFAM survey, 65% of the 50,000 widows in Kabul see suicide the only option to get rid of their miseries and desolation and that majority of Afghan women are victims of mental and sexual violence.

In a country which needs much reconstruction efforts, 40% of its workforce is unemployed and a gross-majority is living bellow the poverty. Afghanistan stands 175th out of 177 countries of the UN Human Development Index.

Ironically, this is happening in a country that has received 12 billion dollars while another 10 billion more were pledged at the London conference last year. But this money will mainly fill the pockets of warlords to better suppress our nation more severely.

The crimes and brutalities of the fundamentalist warlords are still going on even in under the nose of the US and ISAF troops. "Northern Alliance" gunmen raped fourteen-year old Fatima and her mother and 11 year old Rahima and 60 year old grand mother, a land where 30 year old Amina was stoned to death, where Nadia Anjuman easily becomes victim of her husband's violence because he is sure that he has the support of warlords of the misogynist "Northern Alliance".

Under the Taliban, the vice and virtue department became a notorious symbol of arbitrary abuses, particularly against Afghan women and girls but today Afghan cabinet once again decides to reestablish this dreadful department instead of focusing on more acute needs of the Afghan society.

US-based Committee to Protect Journalists, in a statement stated last year. "Afghan journalists are facing severe pressure from the Afghan authorities, including threats, intimidation, even imprisonment and murder. This is the case while Mr. Karzai and Western media speak of freedom of speech in Afghanistan.

Those who speak for justice are threatened to death, on May 7, 2006, I was physically attacked by pro-warlord and drug-lord MPs in the parliament just for speaking the truth - crimes of Northern Alliance. One of them even shouted "prostitute, take and rape her!"

President Hamid Karzai instead of relying on people to bring the criminal warlords to trial, appoints these criminals to higher posts. For instance, this year he appointed 13 former commanders with links to drugs smuggling, organized crime and illegal militias to senior positions in the police force.

It is due to the tragic situation in Afghanistan that returning to Afghanistan is an unattractive option for the 4 million registered Afghan refugees living in Iran and Pakistan.

Dear friends,

The US government keeps promising not to repeat its past mistake in supporting the fundamentalists. But agonizing truth is that US is committing the same mistake. She is generously supporting the fundamentalists more than ever. The US is relying on "Northern Alliance" who turned Afghanistan into a hell from 1992-1996 and still are a great threat to the stability and peace in my country.

Kathy Gannon, an expert in Afghanistan justly states that "the US is not interested in peace in Afghanistan. The people who killed thousands, who patronized the drug business are in charge of the country."

Afghans, all justice-loving people, and international human rights organizations are demanding the trial of warlords and former pro-Moscow puppets. But they are not brought to justice but rather shamelessly were offered higher positions and were given opportunity to find their way into the parliament with the support of US and its allies.

The US government puts Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in the list of most wanted terrorists, but his party has 34 members in the Afghan parliament. US can work with pro-American fundamentalist, but oppose only anti-American fundamentalists. This is the reason that people make mockery of the "war on terror".

The parliamentary election itself was a shame to democracy while the Western media called it a great success. According to HRW the parliament is packed with more than 70 percent elements accused of war crimes, including members of Russian puppet regime, drug dealers, Taliban and "Northern Alliance" killers.

Dear friends,

The USA is not concerned with the main cause behind terrorism in Afghanistan. That is why our people don't consider the US as "liberator" of our country.

Hope you have realized from the small parts of problems that I just shared, that my country is still in chains of bloody and terrorist fundamentalists. The situation in Afghanistan and conditions of its ill-fated women will never change positively, as long as the warlords are not disarmed and both the pro-US and anti-US terrorists are removed from the political scene of Afghanistan.

I think that no nation can donate liberation to another nation. Liberation should be achieved in a country by the people themselves. The ongoing developments in Afghanistan and Iraq prove this claim.

I think if Canada and other governments really want to help Afghan people and bring positive changes, they must act independently, rather than becoming a tool to implement the wrong policies of the US government. They must align themselves to the wishes and needs of Afghan people and stop any kind of support to the warlords and reactionary and ignorant element within the system. Only by such policy, they can gain people's trust and will prove themselves as real friends of Afghan people.

We are deeply sorry for the deaths of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. If the Canadian government could not act independently rather than following Pentagon's agenda, we are afraid the efforts of Canadian troops will first of all serve the US government and not the Afghan people.

We want the Canadian government must stress on the fact that criminals like Sayyaf, Rabbani, Qanooni, Mohaqiq, Fahim, Mullah Rakiti, the Khalqis and Parchamis should be removed from power and put on trial. The Canadian policy-makers must know that warlords of the “Northern Alliance" are equally responsible for the plight of Afghani people and the current tragedy in Afghanistan.

I am well aware of the hardships, challenges, and death from anti-democracy forces, but I trust my people. One day they may kill me as they have gun and power and support of the US government, but they can never silence my voice and hide the truth.

Thank you.