Taliban target LGBT Afghans, says report

January 27, 2022 12:12

Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Afghanistan have faced grave threats to their safety and lives under the Taliban, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a newly released report.

A 43-page report, based on 60 interviews with LGBT Afghans, revealed how Taliban members attacked or threatened them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Many reported abuse from family members, neighbours, and romantic partners who now support the Taliban or believed they had to act against LGBT people close to them to ensure their own safety, the HRW and OutRight Action International said in its report.

\Some fled their homes from attacks by Taliban members or supporters pursuing them. Others watched lives they had carefully built over the years disappear overnight and found themselves at risk of being targeted at any time because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

"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," said J. Lester Feder, senior fellow for emergency research at OutRight Action International. -- ANI

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