

Mena Mangal
Journalist & Women's Rights Activist
Mina Mangal (also transliterated Mena Mangal) (born 1992; died 11 May 2019 in Kabul, Afghanistan) was a prominent Afghan journalist, political advisor, and women's rights activist. Mangal gained popularity hosting the television channels Tolo TV, Shamshad TV,[3] Lemar TV,[4] and the Ariana Television Network.[1] She became known as a feminist and an advocate for women's rights in Afghanistan, particularly with regard to education and employment.[3] Her arranged husband and his family saw Mangal's work and outspokenness on women's issues as a threat to their honour, and she had to leave her first job after he became violent towards her.
Mangal was murdered because of the very forcefulness of her voice and her courage in empowering women and girls. When a beacon of hope is ruthlessly wiped out with nine bullets – hitting her head and her body – we Afghan women are riven by fear. Prior to her death, she was a cultural commissioner to the House of the People, the lower house of the National Assembly.