The family was harassed at their home by communist party members. The family home was often visited by soldiers looking for the two men. Following the father's disappearance and fearing ongoing harassment from the communists, the three women and an infant fled Afghanistan in December 1989. In April 1992 a coalition of mujahideen groups seized power in Afghanistan and imposed their strict interpretation of Islamic law. Women are denied education, careers, reproductive choices, and the right to vote or even drive.
Women are subject to strict moral codes including dress codes.
The regime persecutes its opponents, including those presumed to have been communists or supported the communists. The applicants fear persecution based on an imputed political opinion of opposition due to their high education levels and the daughter's employment in a communist-run hospital. They also fear persecution due to their opposition to the harsh gender-specific regulations. Asylum Grounds Political opinion Legal Theory Well-founded fear of persecution on account of actual and imputed political opinion. Procedural History Exclusion proceedings begun in 1990.