Plaid Cymru the Party of Wales' European Leader will speak in Cardiff tomorrow against the Afghanistan bombing campaign, when she will be drawing attention in particular to the effect on women in Afghanistan.

Jill Evans MEP, who is also Plaid Cymru International Affairs Spokesperson, met with women's rights agencies operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan, including Sabira Mateen from the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), at the European Parliament in Brussels earlier in the week.

Jill Evans, who was recently elected Chair of CND Cymru, said:

"Women in Afghanistan have suffered a catastrophic assault on their human rights during the last twenty years of conflict in Afghanistan. Under the Taliban, women have been erased from public life and denied such basic rights as education, healthcare and employment. The Women's Rights Committee of the European Parliament has regularly condemned this situation.

"The current escalation of violence in Afghanistan will fall heaviest on the most vulnerable sections of the population. Restrictions on freedom of movement threaten their ability to escape from the bombing raids and access food, greatly threatening their lives.

"We must ensure that any future government established in Afghanistan fully involves women and ensures that international human rights and women's rights are not infringed."

The rally takes place at City Hall, Cardiff (1.30 for 2.00 p.m.) on Saturday 10 November.

Diwedd/Ends.