The Afghan judge working to free her sisters left behind

Fawzia escaped from Afghanistan. Now in London, she's trying to secure a safe exit for women still stranded

Just under three weeks before the Taliban reached Kabul and took control of Afghanistan, 50 of the most powerful women in the country gathered outdoors in a shady spot to discuss how to deal with the approaching danger.

Wearing colourful headscarves, some took notes while others listened intently to Fawzia, 48, one of the most senior female judges in Afghanistan. Holding a microphone, she spoke with urgency about the advancing threat and the need to protect the rights that female lawyers, women's rights activists and journalists had spent decades fighting for.