Afghan political activist Malalai Joya, called “the bravest woman in Afghanistan” by the British Broadcasting Corporation, made her voice heard April 5 as she called for an end to the United States-NATO occupation during a talk at University of Washington-Tacoma. Joya’s seventh stop in three days on her United States speaking tour addressed the struggles of the Afghan people and brought to light her firsthand accounts of military fallout in the form of what she calls an increase in civilian casualties since President Barack Obama took office.

“Obama should be questioned,” the 32-year-old former parliamentarian said. “The Afghan people are done with apologies, and want to see an end to foreign occupation.”

Joya’s American speaking tour almost did not happen when authorities initially denied her Visa application.

Thanks in part to pressure from members of Washington’s Congressional delegation, the decision was eventually reversed. “Part of the reason I was denied is because each time I come to the United States, I expose wrongdoing,” Joya said. “But they can’t silence my voice or keep me from sharing my message with the world.”

The talk, sponsored by Peace Action of Washington, attracted approximately 80 people and garnered a standing ovation after a speech and Q&A session.

This author of “A Woman Among Warlords” became the youngest member of the Afghan parliament in 2005. She was dismissed two years later after publicly exposing what she saw as the war crimes and corruption of her fellow lawmakers.

Joya also started an illegal school for girls under the Taliban regime, and continues to fight for the education of her people.

“Education is the key to emancipation,” she said. “The Afghan people do need a helping hand from democratic-minded people, but the answer is not occupation.”

She addressed the recent release of photos from the alleged “kill team” of American soldiers posed with the bodies of reported Afghan civilians, calling them indicative of a wider problem of racism in the military.

“These photos are new, but murders like these are not new for my people,” she said. Joya wants top military officials to take responsibility for these actions, in addition to the individual soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on trial.

Ordinary Afghan people continue to see their country go from “worse to worse,” Joya said, fighting who she calls internal and external enemies, including Taliban forces, warlords and foreign occupation forces. “We do not expect anything good from occupation, we just want the wrongdoing to stop,” she said. “Despite being wounded, we continue to fight against the Taliban because of our hatred toward them. The presence of occupation forces is making our fight that much harder.”