“Prosecutors For Prosecutors” Campaign Unites US Prosecutors to Bring Afghan Prosecutors and their Families to Safe Countries

WASHINGTON, DC, USA, July 27, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA-US) has launched Prosecutors For Prosecutors (PFP) to unite prosecutors in the United States and abroad to save the lives of their colleagues who remain in Afghanistan.

The campaign was launched in response to a dire request for help from the APA-US counterpart in Afghanistan (APA-AF), which reports the number of prosecutors tortured and killed by the Taliban as 26, to date. Family members of prosecutors are being killed as well.

The goal is to raise $15 million to save the lives of 1,500 Afghan prosecutors and their families by evacuating them to safe countries.

“We believe no one can stand on the sidelines when prosecutors are being killed for upholding the rule of law," said APA-US President and CEO David LaBahn. “Our colleagues in Afghanistan, along with their families, are being persecuted for working towards a safer, more just society—the very same mission we all strive towards. They are one of us. We cannot leave them behind.”

Prior to the fall of Kabul in August of 2021, there were approximately 6,000 Afghan staff members of the Afghanistan Attorney General Office supporting rule of law programs. Many were the prosecutors responsible for criminal cases against members of the Taliban for murder, terrorism, assaults, kidnapping, abductions, violence against women, and drug crimes. Most were members of the Afghanistan Prosecutors Association (APA-AF), and trained by the US and allied nations.

APA-AF, now in exile, has identified over 3,800 prosecutors and key staff members that remain in Afghanistan. They are hiding – unemployed and facing famine and starvation. They are in need of assistance and relocation out of Afghanistan to safety for themselves and their families.

Afghan prosecutors are not eligible for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) to the US as they were not directly employed by the US government and other visa programs can take years before they are processed. The fastest way to get these prosecutors and their families to safety is by funding NGOs that are able to relocate them, such as Jewish Humanitarian Response.

Every dollar donated to the PFP campaign will go to NGOs to fund the safe relocation of Afghan prosecutors. Donations may be made at apa-pfp.org. Once PFP has achieved its goal of raising $15 million to save 1,500 prosecutors, efforts will expand to every Afghan prosecutor seeking relocation as funds are received.

In addition to funds, PFP is seeking experienced, talented, and passionate partners to help relocate prosecutors to places of safety and help them secure employment.

PFP invites organizations from the international, legal, immigration, refugee and human rights communities, and, most importantly, individual prosecutors upholding the rule of law around the world, to join this mission.

The founding organizations of the Prosecutors For Prosecutors campaign include:

Association of Prosecuting Attorneys
AfghanEvac
Afghan Prosecutors Association
Jewish Humanitarian Response
International Association of Prosecutors
NATO AFG Justice Sector
No One Left Behind
Operation Recovery
Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association

About Prosecutors For Prosecutors
All donations are tax deductible to the full extent of US laws for 501(c)3 non-profit organizations. APA-US intends to solicit funds from all persons and organizations who support prosecutors and the work needed to uphold the rule of law around the world.

All funds raised, all funds expended, the specific partner projects supported with project objectives, and results will be available on APA-PFP.org website. No individual names and locations of prosecutors and their families’ members will be publicly disclosed. Any funds received by APA-US for “Prosecutors For Prosecutors” will be solely to rescue Afghan prosecutors and their families to bring them safety. Additional information about PFP can be found at apa-pfp.org.

Beth Parker
Association of Prosecuting Attorneys
+1 202-421-7789
beth.parker@apainc.org
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