Rights group Just.Equal Australia has urged the Australian Government to provide refuge for LGBTIQA+ Afghans facing persecution under the reinstated Taliban regime.
President, Ivan Hinton-Teoh, has written to Home Affairs Minister, Karen Andrews, asking that Australia follow the UK in settling LGBTIQA+ Afghans.
“According to news reports, the Taliban has an LGBTIQA hit-list and many LGBTIQA+ Afghans fear for their lives”, Hinton-Teoh said.
“As one of the countries that invaded Afghanistan in the name of freedom, Australia must now fulfill that promise to LGBTIQA+ Afghans.”
Britain received the first intake of LGBTIQA+ refugees from Afghanistan a fortnight ago and many more are expected to follow. The UK government worked with the charities Stonewall and Rainbow Railroad to assist 29 people to seek asylum in the United Kingdom.
Nancy Kelley, the Chief Executive of Stonewall, said the situation in the country for LGBTIWQA+ people was rapidly deteriorating and people feared for their lives.
When the Taliban previously controlled Afghanistan gay men were often executed by being stoned to death. In the 20 year period in-between, gay people have not lived openly in Afghan society, gay men often have wives and children to hide their sexuality, but there is a close knit community. Many have feared that once a few people are identified as being gay, authorities will quickly be able to identify others.
“The level of threat is escalating and escalating. We are hearing reports of people being beaten, raped or killed. Many are in hiding and some have been unable to leave their hiding places even to get food because the situation is too dangerous. For a long time LGBTQ+ people have been forced into marriage and have had to live hidden lives,” Kelley told The Guardian.
A spokesperson for the Afghan finance minister said human rights would be respected within the framework of Islamic law, but not gay rights. “LGBT… That’s against our Sharia law,” Ahmad Wali Haqmal said.
Speaking to France24, Kimahli Powell, Executive Director of Rainbow Railroad said hundreds of people had reached out to the organisation fearing for their safety.
“I can guarantee you already right now, that the number of requests we will receive this year will spike,” Powell said, noting that for Afghanistan alone, the group has already fielded 700 requests this year and identified at least 200 more people “in need of immediate evacuation”. The group usually receives a global total of 4,000 help requests per year.
Hinton-Teoh said the Australian government had already shown it had the ability to protect members of the LGBTIQA+ communities who faced threats overseas, citing the case of transgender woman, Nur Sajat, who was recently granted asylum by the Australian Government after fleeing sharia law in Malaysia.
“We welcome the Australian Government’s decision in Nur Sajat’s case and urge it to extend the same humanitarian principle to LGBTIQA+ Afghans.” Hinton-Teoh said.
Graeme Watson
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