, out of the 21,450 Afghan refugees who have been resettled in the UK since the fall of Kabul, just 97 are from the LGBT+ community. For Nemat Sadat, Executive Director of Roshaniya, the threat to LGBT+ Afghans has never been greater. And without targeted help from the West, especially the UK government, the community risks losing more of its members. 'There is no safety net for LGBT+ Afghans,' he explains. 'There is no interest to evacuate them now, and Western governments are not giving humanitarian visas. The Taliban are penetrating into the LGBT+ Afghan network, torturing and killing people, and there is no help on the way. 'Not only could the UK have saved lives lost, but it could save the lives of LGBT+ people who are in the process of getting tortured and killed. 'It's absolutely hor){kind=link}
By Oliver Murphy
While many have tragically grown accustomed to the Taliban’s stranglehold on war-torn Afghanistan, for the thousands of LGBT+ Afghans who still remain trapped, life is more dangerous than ever.
It’s been more than a year since the West’s dramatic withdrawal from the region, but still, the effects continue to be felt. With the Taliban having intensified its persecution of LGBT+ individuals, torture, gang-rape and executions occur almost daily.
A community already at risk has been forced deeper underground in a bid to avoid capture.
‘The Afghan LGBT+ community has already been ravaged by Taliban persecution,’ warns Peter Tatchell, the prominent LGBTQ+ activist and human rights campaigner. ‘Unless western governments act swiftly to provide refuge, it is in danger of annihilation.