Entry 6, pages 325-350

What actions are the characters taking to protect their own human rights?  If they are not taking any action to protect their rights, why aren't they?

After reading this section, I felt somewhat relieved for Mariam and Laila and proud that they finally took action against Rasheed, even though they went too far with it.  Standing up for yourself and protecting yourself is one thing, killing a man is a whole different story.
Though through most of the novel, the wives of Rasheed put up with this abuse for fear or being imprisoned or punished by Rasheed even worse, Mariam finally decides she is done dealing with the beatings.  To protect herself, her friend and her rights, she does the only thing she thinks will save her from her crazed husband.  She kills him.  
In retrospect, murdering Rasheed may have been the only way Laila could survive.  In America, we can pick up the phone and dial 911 if we need help.  This story seems to portray a different scenario, stating at one point that "What a man does in his home is his business" (Hosseini 266).  The prevalent abuse violates Article 15 of the List of Human Rights, which is the freedom from torture or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment.  
Mariam later deals with the consequences of saving herself and defending herself by being executed, however she feels empowered that she has stood up for herself and taken back the human right that she was granted at birth.  
You could say executing her for killing a man in self defense is violating Article 15 as well, but I think Mariam's story could set a course for change in the homes and lives of women in Afghanistan.  Seeing one woman refuse to be beaten shows other women that this type of behavior from their husbands is not okay and should not be tolerated.  Even in the jail, Mariam "gained some notoriety among them, became a kind of celebrity.  The women eyed her with a reverent, almost awestruck, expression" (363).  This quote shows the impact Mariam's bravery had on the other women already, and will hopefully spread so others are shown that they can save themselves.