(FILES) In this file photo taken on September 25, 2021, Rina Amiri speaks during "Rise For And With The Women Of Afghanistan: Los Angeles." in West Hollywood, California. - The US on December 29, 2021, appointed Amiri to defend the rights of Afghan women, showing a key priority after the Taliban took control. Amiri, an Afghan-born US scholar and mediation expert who served at the State Department under former president Barack Obama, will take the role of special envoy for Afghan women, girls and human rights, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced. (Photo by Randy Shropshire / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)