KF Webinar Panel Discussion: Operation L - Polish Efforts to Save Afgan Judges and Lawyers

May 17, 2022

The webinar is presented jointly by The Kosciuszko Foundation and The Jagiellonian Law Society in cooperation with the American Bar Association, International Law Section, Women's Interest Network, and International Human Rights Committee.

When the US decided to withdraw from Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans, including women judges and lawyers, and many other professionals, found themselves in grave danger from the approaching Taliban forces. In response, Poland acted and evacuated over 1200 Afghans, among them almost 20 lawyers and judges with their families. Poland offered them a new home, and Polish lawyers have provided support and assistance in many forms.

This webinar will tell the story of the daring rescue mission and evacuation of women judges from Afghanistan, conducted in August 2021 by the Polish Special Forces. It is a story about how new technologies can change the course of events and how one tweet can make a difference. Finally, it is a story of human solidarity, hope, and old-fashioned human decency.

Featured speakers:

Judge Anisa Rasooli – the highest-ranking and senior female judge in Afghanistan’s judiciary, and the first woman to be appointed as a candidate to the Afghan Supreme Court, the country’s highest judicial court.
Judge Teyeba Parsa - judge in the Commercial Division of the Appellate Court of Kabul province and the communications officer for the Afghan Women Judges’ Association (AWJA)
Nigara Mirdad Omar - Deputy Head of Mission, Legal Counsel of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Warsaw, Poland
Anna Kruszewska - Legal counsel, member of Warsaw Bar Association, a partner in a boutique law firm Hasik Rheims & Partners
Szymon A. Kurzawa - Consular Crisis Coordinator at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
Karolina I. Smaga - Counsellor in the Consular Department, and a member of the Crisis Management Team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland

Webinar moderator: Dr. Elizabeth M. Zechenter - an international attorney, social scientist, published author; a visiting scholar at the Emory University College of Arts and Sciences, President of the Jagiellonian Law Society

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Founded in 1925, the Kosciuszko Foundation promotes closer ties between Poland and the United States through educational, scientific and cultural exchanges. It awards up to $1 million annually in fellowships and grants to graduate students, scholars, scientists, professionals, and artists, and promotes Polish culture in America. The Foundation has awarded scholarships and provided a forum to Poles who have changed history.