28 Afghan nationals from the LGBT community have arrived in the UK. The man, whom the BBC did not name for security reasons, fled Afghanistan for fear of losing his life under Taliban rule.
“Everything collapsed after the fall of Kabul. I was very depressed, counting the days to death. I too was a stranger in my house and in my bed. “I felt like a foreigner in my hometown of Kabul.” said the man to the BBC.
On Friday, a Taliban spokesman told the Reuters news agency that the group would not respect gay rights. The last time the group was in power, between 1996 and 2001, gay men were reportedly stoned to death, writes the BBC.
The community has not lived normally in the 20 years since then and the man the BBC interviewed has a wife and a child.
“The LGBTI community was a secretive community, but we knew each other and our network, and if one of us was arrested, they could have found us others. Kabul is not a big city, and with the way the Taliban are ruling the country, it was not that hard to find high profile LGBTI people. “We also heard that some people were arrested.” he said.
The husband’s escape was possible only with the help of international LGBT organizations and more members of this community are expected to leave in the coming months.
“Britain is a new home for me. Everything is new to me here. A new way of life, a new language and culture. I’m a little nervous about my future and I’m trying to figure out where to start my new life, but man, I feel safe and free!
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