‘Devastating and terrifying’: Taliban rule leaves LGBTQ+ Afghans with “no hope” of protection
Human Rights Watch and OutRight Action International’s 43-page report, titled ‘Even If You Go to the Skies, We’ll Find You’: LGBT People in Afghanistan After the Taliban Takeover’, is based on interviews with 60 LGBTQ+ Afghans in late 2021 – most of which were still in Afghanistan at the time, with others having fled to nearby countries.
Published on 26 January, it revealed that a large proportion of them were attacked or threatened by members of the Taliban because of their sexuality or gender identity.
Many have experienced abuse from others in the community, such as family members, neighbours and lovers who now support the Taliban.
In some cases, LGBTQ+ Afghans have had to flee their homes as a result of being attacked. J. Lester Feder, senior fellow for emergency research at OutRight Action International, said: “We spoke with LGBT Afghans who have survived gang rape, mob attacks, or have been hunted by their own family members who joined the Taliban, and they have no hope that state institutions will protect them. “For those LGBT people who want to flee the country, there are few good options; most of Afghanistan’s neighbors also criminalize same-sex relations. “It is difficult to overstate how devastating – and terrifying – the return of Taliban rule has been for LGBT Afghans.” Interviewees that had fled the country shared concerns that they would be deported due to lacking appropriate immigration status, adding that they were fearful of LGBTQ+ laws in the region.
