Afghan Women Judges Honored
Hanover High School Juniors and Seniors gathered in the auditorium on January 4th to witness and participate in the celebration of two esteemed women judges. Judge Anisa Rasooli and Judge Geeti Roeen settled in Vermont and New Hampshire after evacuating their home country of Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the country in 2021.
New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon J. MacDonald and Vermont Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul L. Reiber officially welcomed Judge Anisa and Judge Roeen to the United States, honoring the progress that these two women made despite relentless adversity which came finally in the form of Taliban death threats against both Judges and their families.
New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen as well as Vermont Representative Rebecca Balint, and members of both staff were present at the ceremony and recognized for their tireless efforts in orchestrating the resettlement of both Judges.
Central also to the evacuation and resettlement of Judge Rasooli and Judge Roeen was the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ). Retired Vermont Judge and active member of the IAWJ, Patricia Whalen was honored for her role in organizing the collaborative effort which brought about the successful evacuation of Judge Rasooli and Judge Roeen.
Judge Roeen concluded her statement by expressing her gratitude and urging those in attendance to keep fighting for human rights and against oppression, inequality, and violence, “Since arriving in the US in November, we have been greeted with such warmth and respect, and I feel that humanity is still alive, and there are so many here fighting for women’s rights and human rights”(Judge Roeen)(Translation).
Both Judges will continue their work as visiting scholars at Dartmouth College.