Zarifa Ghafari

[8] Ghafari applied to be the mayor of Maidan Shahr and she was chosen ahead of other (male) candidates based on the results of tests.

[13] However, her term as mayor of Maiden Shahr had to be delayed for a period of nine months due to protests and threats by local politicians about her age and gender.

In a traditionally conservative province like Wardak where the Taliban have widespread support, she held a nearly untenable position.

[9] On her first day as mayor, she faced harassment from a group of men who mobbed her office and warned her to resign from the position.

"[16] She also made a special request and appeal from the then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to safeguard the women's rights in Afghanistan following the uncertainties posed by the Taliban-USA negotiations.

"[18] Following the takeover of Afghanistan's government by the Taliban in mid-August 2021, she fled the country arriving in Istanbul, Turkey on Wednesday, August 18, along with her partner, Bashir Mohammadi, her mother and four brothers and three sisters.

[19][20] She stayed in Bonn[21] or Düsseldorf for six months before she decided to leave Germany and return to her home country.

She discussed this with her fiancée, with the authorities in Kabul, a Netflix film crew and her biographer and then she returned relying on her profile to keep her safe.

She was only there for days but although she noticed the improvements in security she also saw that women rights were dramatically reduced and they were banned from public places like parks and fun fairs.

Ghafari speaking at the 2020 International Women of Courage Awards ceremony