JURIST EXCLUSIVE – Law students and lawyers in Afghanistan are filing reports with JURIST on the situation there after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. Here, a female law student in Herat in western Afghanistan offers her latest observations and perspective. For privacy and security reasons we are withholding her name and institutional affiliation. The text has been only lightly edited to respect the author’s voice.

I went to university today and I want to tell you what happened.

As I approached the gates of the university, I was very scared. Taliban guards with their weapons were in the position of former university guards. I passed them, but I felt the weight of their horrible look on me. Fortunately they don’t stop me.

The university was very calm and the number of women students was little. Fortunately, the Taliban were not on campus.

I entered the faculty [of law]. It too was very calm and I was the only girl at the faculty. I spoke with my professor quickly and left the university. The ambiance was very heavy. None of the female professors were at the faculty. My professor were very hopeless about the reopening the university. No one can guess what is going to happen to the law school.

On Friday the President of the Student Association of Herat University had a meeting with the Vice President of the Universities of the Southwest Zone of the Islamic Emirate.
The Vice President said that the university will most likely start from this week. But he did not say how the universities would start again.

I am eagerly waiting for the reopening of university. I hope these promises come true. But actually I don’t know what is going to happen to our faculty. The situation is unknown. We just have to wait and see what happens to us and our academic destiny.