Hazara Community Dinner with Dr Sima Samar

Honouring Dr Sima Samar incredible contribution to humanity and justice. Dr Samar is an inspiring Hazara human rights advocate, activist and medical doctor within national and international forums, who served as Vice President of Afghanistan in the interim Government of Hamid Karzai & Minister for Women's Affairs (Afghanistan) from December 2001 to 2003.

She is the former Chairperson of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and, from 2005 to 2009, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan. She is a multi awards winner - Mother Teresa Awards for Social Justice in November 2012. In 2012, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for "her longstanding and courageous dedication to human rights, especially the rights of women, in one of the most complex and dangerous regions in the world."

Dr Samar’s journey is extraordinary. From becoming one of the first Hazara women doctors in Afghanistan to founding the Shuhada Organisation for refugees, her courage and advocacy have changed countless lives. Her work has transformed women’s access to healthcare, education and equality in Afghanistan. A Nobel Peace Prize nominee and recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, Dr Samar’s decades of work have earned her global recognition.

Her message is clear: peace cannot exist without justice and equality.

It was truly an honour to be with Dr Samar on her visit to Adelaide and YES - I have a signed copy of her book “Outspoken” - The book by Dr. Sima Samar titled Outspoken: My Fight for Freedom and Human Rights in Afghanistan. Published in early 2024, it is a memoir that details her lifelong struggle as a doctor and human rights advocate in Afghanistan.

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