• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

LGBT+ Afghan deaths ‘preventable’ if West had prioritised evacuations, campaigners say

"I am in danger 24 hours a day and can’t work which is causing financial problems. I am feeling that no one is helping me," one trans Afghan trapped in Kabul said.

Oliver Murphy by Oliver Murphy
2022-04-17 16:29
in News
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

The deaths of LGBT+ people in Afghanistan could have been prevented if Western governments had prioritised their evacuation after the country fell to the Taliban, campaigners have said. 

It comes after a new report from Human Rights Watch and OutRight Action International found that life for LGBT+ Afghans has “dramatically worsened” following the Taliban’s violent takeover last August. 

Nemat Sadat, one of the first native Afghans to come out publicly as gay, told TLE that much of the community has spent the last eight months under self-imposed “house arrest” to evade capture, but warned the risk of being seized by authorities had intensified. 

“What irks me is that this could have been prevented. If the international community and powers-that-be listened to my call and prioritised the evacuation and resettlement of the 1,000 most at-risk LGBT+ people in Afghanistan,” he said.

‘They will not survive’

With the names of 1,075 individuals currently on his list, Sadat has spent the last seven months independently organising evacuations for some of the most vulnerable in Afghanistan although, for some, time is running out. 

He said: “I can fairly assume that the 49 people who do not respond to my emails and phone calls are either missing or dead, unless they have disconnected their mobile and Internet service because they can no longer afford to keep it active.

“Most LGBT+ people on my list are experiencing food insecurity and have been repeatedly tortured. About a quarter have suffered one or more physical attacks since the Taliban takeover. 

RelatedPosts

Stunned response as Linda Robson tells Loose Women panel she thinks Boris Johnson is a ‘decent man’

Laurence Fox told to pay £36k legal fees for drag artist and Stonewall executive

Guns banned at Trump’s NRA address

‘Is that it?’: PM’s lapdog newspapers tell Brits to move on over Partygate

“My estimate is that most LGBT+ people in Afghanistan will be dead within two years’ time. They will not survive the Taliban’s punishing brutality against them.” 

"Hiding and screaming in silence." @nematsadat has been working to get members of the LGBTQ community out of Afghanistan. He tells @biannagolodryga that the "state sanctioned violence" that LGBTQ Afghans face at the hands of the Taliban is "unprecedented." pic.twitter.com/KLosUdlRah

— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) December 15, 2021

His comments follow a response to a Freedom of Information request which revealed that since October last year, the government has accepted just 62 LGBT+ Afghans – only two of whom are transgender. 

Last year, the government announced that a group of 29 LGBT Afghans had settled in the UK, and said it hoped the first arrival would be the “first of many” able to start new lives.

Designed to protect women and children as well as religious and other minorities, the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme will allow 5,000 Afghans to settle in the UK, with a long-term goal total of 20,000. 

‘Failing to deliver’

The prominent LGBT+ rights activist, Peter Tatchell, however, accused the government of failing to “deliver on its pledge” to provide a safe haven for LGBT+ Afghans, and called on the international community to step up its support. 

“The UK and other Western nations promised a lot and have done very little. It is a shameful betrayal of their obligations under the Refugee Convention which they have signed and pledged to uphold. 

“What is required is the commitment of western governments to each take a share of  vulnerable, at-risk LGBT+ Afghans. But this is not happening. The US, Canada, UK, Australia and the EU have taken only a handful,” he said.

Yesterday, our Vice-Chair for Outreach @Pierre_Andrews_ wrote to @DominicRaab and @pritipatel to seek reassurances that the UK government is doing all it can to ensure that LGBT+ Afghans are given a safe passage out of the country🇦🇫

Read the full letter here⬇️ pic.twitter.com/jEiwRn9uE7

— LGBT+ Conservatives (@LGBTCons) August 21, 2021

Sadat added: “If you’re comparing the 62 people compared to the 1,075 people on my list, I would say it’s an embarrassment. Any of the major western countries, France, Germany, the US or the UK, could have easily resettled all 1,000 LGBT people from Afghanistan. 

“It wasn’t a priority for them. Saving LGBT+ people is just not as important, in their minds, as rescuing heterosexuals. They should have worked directly with me – listened to my pleas and coordinated with me to work toward their resettlement.”

One transgender Afghan still trapped in Kabul, told TLE that life has now become so dangerous since the Taliban’s takeover that they have “no hope for living”. 

“I feel danger outside. I used to work as a dress designer in the media: I was arranging dresses for the singers and arranging private programs, but the Taliban said that LGBTQ are not in Islam so they should be killed. 

“I was living in Jalalabad before the Taliban came with threats – so I shifted to Kabul. I am in danger 24 hours a day and can’t work which is causing financial problems. I am feeling that no one is helping me. I’ve applied to many organisations for help.”

Today marks six months into Taliban rule. During this time, we have helped about 200 LGBT+ Afghans get passports and/or visas for Iran or Pakistan and with emergency assistance to evacuate or safely wait for their asylum case. Let's help the rest of them!https://t.co/G2Svc5nmeX

— Nemat Sadat (@nematsadat) February 15, 2022

‘Terrible conditions’

Their comments follow an interview in which a Taliban judge confirmed that gay men will be executed by having walls toppled on them once the militant organisation are back in power. 

A 2009 Justice Department report noted that “no death sentences are reported to have been dispensed with after the end of the Taliban rule but… this is still technically possible” under criminal law in the country.  

According to Artemis Akbary the founder of the Afghan LGBT Organisation, most European countries have done “very little” for LGBT Afghans who continue to live in “terrible conditions”. 

He told TLE: “They’ve let down LGBT people inside of Afghanistan, because when the Taliban took over, most of the LGBT community felt hope; hope that Western countries would help them. 

“Many of the European countries, especially Germany, Canada and Britain, said that they will accept LGBT Afghans. I gave them a list of names, but only a few have been relocated while the rest remain trapped. 

“But unfortunately, they didn’t, because the war started in Ukraine. I think they’re focusing on Ukraine. They’ve closed their eyes on Afghanistan and the many people left behind. I think that’s really terrible.

“The Taliban haven’t changed, they’ve become even more dangerous. Right now the situation for LGBT people has become harder, especially for lesbians and bisexuals because right now women cannot go to another city without a husband.”

Related: Trans exclusion from conversion therapy ban a return to Section 28, ex-adviser warns

Tags: featuredheadline

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Johnson hails fifth anniversary of Brexit referendum as poll finds UK divided as ever

Got a spare £1.50? You could see Nigel Farage live

Chicken Noodle Soup with Garlic Croutons

Lotto Results for Saturday 7 May 2022 Lottery Tonight’s winning numbers

Lough Cluhir Cottage, West Cork – Review

People are reporting Nigel Farage to Westminster council for fly tipping fish

Greta hits out at G7 for ‘steak and lobster celebration’ as climate crisis mounts

Southern rehab centres treat over half of those admitted for rising over the counter drug addiction

Before 2016, only 1% of Brits cared about the EU

Five-year-old boy fighting for life after being accidentally shot with pellet gun

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.