Crystal Bayat

Crystal Bayat is an Afghan social activist and human rights advocate known for her protests against the Taliban takeover. A native Ghazni, Shia and Bayat ethnicity minority, Bayat grew up most of her life with democracy and positive societal changes. She is currently continuing the fight to preserve Afghan human right's achievements as an agent of change.

Crystal Bayat in Aug. 2021 protesting the Taliban on the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan

Early life and education

Bayat was born in Kabul and is a member of the Bayat tribe, a Turkic ethnic minority.[1] Her mother is a gynaecologist and her father works for the Ministry of Interior Affairs.[2] Bayat graduated from Daulat Ram College with a bachelor's degree in political science in 2019.[3] She holds a master's degree from the United Nations Institute in Delhi.[2] In 2021, Bayat started her PhD at Delhi University in Political Management but her program was cut short due to the Taliban takeover. She hopes to continue her PhD program in the near future. Bayat was awarded a scholarship from Indian Council for Cultural Relations.[1]

She writes for national and international newspapers; she edited a news and current affairs column in the telematic periodical Aleph & other Tales entitled "The girl with the Afghan flag".

Activist contributions

After returning from school in India to Afghanistan in 2020, Bayat started the civil rights think tank, Justice and Equality Trend, and the Crystal Charity Foundation, a human rights logistics charity.[1] She is active in protests against the Taliban and warns that they "have not changed." Bayat helped lead Kabul’s Independence Day protests just days after the Taliban took the city. One of seven women at a protest of roughly 200 people, she led the pack, shouting, “Our flag is our identity!”[4] Bayat remains firm in her opinion that the Taliban still does not believe in the freedom and demands of Afghan citizens especially women, and that no one has made a honest effort to hold them accountable."[5]

On December 7, 2021, Crystal Bayat was named to the BBC 100 Women 2021[6] list for her social activist and human-rights advocacy, which figured prominently in protests against the Taliban takeover in 2021,

References
  1. Vincent, Pheroze L. (26 August 2021). "Face of anti-Taliban resistance cut her teeth in activism at DU". Telegraph India. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  2. Tripathi, Sumedha (2021-08-24). "A 24-Year-Old DU Graduate Is Leading The Way For Women Rights By Protesting Against Taliban". IndiaTimes. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  3. Sadhwani, Garima (2021-08-27). "Survival in Afghanistan is really difficult: Afghan social activist Crystal Bayat". National Herald. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  4. Bryon, Jordan; Cott, Emma; Laffin, Ben (2021-08-20). "Risking retaliation, an Afghan woman uses the national flag to protest the Taliban". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  5. Bhandari, Hemani (2021-08-24). "DU graduate who led protests in Afghanistan uncertain of future". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  6. "BBC 100 Women 2021: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2021-12-07.


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