Malalai Joya's Memoirs "Raising My Voice" to be published by Random House imprint ..

The memoirs of Malalai Joya, "Raising My Voice" have been bought by Judith Kendra, the much-respected publisher of Random House imprint Rider - Judith worked for the highly respected NGO, Minority Rights Group in the '90's.

Malalai Joya who was recently awarded the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, was suspended a year ago from the Afghan Parliament after she likened it to "a stable or a zoo... full of animals". "Raising My Voice," will be published in the US, Canada, Australia and across continental Europe, will recount Joya's story as well as chronicling the situation in Afghanistan, through war, occupation and terrorism and what she sees as the current mockery of democracy.

In the House of Commons, Mohammad Sarwar asked about the Foreign Secretary about her dismissal from Parliament and received this answer from Gobshite Welshman Kim Howells.... :Kim Howells (Minister of State, Foreign & Commonwealth Office; Pontypridd, Labour)9th June 2008

"In May 2007 Malalai Joya was suspended for three years (until the end of the legislative term) by her peers in the Afghan parliament for contravening Article 70 of the Afghan parliament's rules of procedure. Article 70 states that members of parliament who insult others are subject to disciplinary action. Action was taken against Ms Joya after a media interview in which she said that the Afghan parliament was worse than a 'stable or zoo'. (She actually said " "A stable or a zoo is better [than the legislature], at least there you have a donkey that carries a load and a cow that provides milk. This parliament is worse than a stable or a zoo." )

Ms Joya has the right to challenge the decision and has indicated her intention to do so. Together with EU partners, we regularly raise the issue of freedom of expression in Afghanistan and look forward to Ms Joya and the Afghan parliament resolving this internal parliamentary issue.A member of our embassy staff met with Malalai Joya on 1 May 2008.

Ms Joya gave an account of her suspension (to our Ambassador perhaps?) by the Afghan parliament and discussed Afghan politics.

So that's alright then. Article 70 (which was especially promulgated to deal with Ms Malali Joya) can stand then. We, who pour Billions into this sordid corrupt country run by warlords , gangsters and drug dealers can carry on. Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch noted that members of parliament have regularly criticized each other, but no one else has been suspended.

"The article banning criticism of parliament is an unreasonable rule that violates the principle of free speech enshrined in international law and valued around the world," said Adams. "The Afghan parliament should be setting an example by promoting and protecting free expression, not by stamping it out."

It is to be hoped her book details the shitty intrigues of the nasty Diplomatic staff in Kabul who deny democracy keep the puppet Karzai with his gangster family on top of his throne of bayonets.

This is a woman with balls... Read her speech in Florence on receiving the Giglio D'oro award July 23, 2007 ..." For speaking the truth against warlords, I am receiving constant death threats, but when they could not silent me by threats, assassination attempts and any kind of abuses, they finally kicked me out of the parliament. But I am happy about that, it shows that I have been successful in my mission to uncover the mask of some criminal and dark-minded elements like Sayyaf, Rabbani, Qannoni (who MJ has publicly exposed embezzled US$25MN from the Education Ministry) , Gulabzoy, Ulumi, Haji Almas, Haji Farid, Mohaqiq, Kazimi, Farooqi and many other such murderers.

Defend Malalai Joya website here