Maria Bashir

Maria Bashir
At Attorney General's Office, Herat
Born	1970
Nationality	Afghan
Education	Law
Alma mater	Kabul University
Occupation(s)	Chief Prosecutor General, Herat Province
Years active	4
Employer	Attorney General's Office, Afghanistan
Known for	First woman prosecutor in Afghanistan
Children	Sajad (son) Yasaman (daughter)
Awards	International Women of Courage Award, 2011

Maria Bashir is a prosecutor based in Afghanistan and the only woman to ever hold such a position in the country as of 2009^[update].^[1] With more than fifteen years of experience with Afghan civil service - the Taliban, corrupt policemen, death threats, failed assassination attempts - she has seen them all. She was banned from working during the Taliban period, when she spent her time schooling girls illegally at her residence, when it was illegal for women to be seen unescorted by men on the streets.^[2] In the post-Taliban era, she was called back into service, and was made the Chief Prosecutor General of Herat Province in 2006.^[1][3] With her main focus on eradicating corruption and oppression of women, she handled around 87 cases in 2010 alone.^[4]

Recognising her work, the United States Department of State presented her The International Women of Courage Award which is awarded annually to women around the world who have shown leadership, courage, resourcefulness and willingness to sacrifice for others, especially for promotion of women's rights, often at risk to their own lives.^[5] Bashir also featured in the 2011 Time 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world composed by Time.^[4]