Gay Afghan man raped and beaten by cruel Taliban fighters after desperately trying to flee
A Taliban fighter stands guard near a damaged car after multiple rockets were fired in Kabul on August 30, 2021. (WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty)
A gay man in Afghanistan was beaten, raped and outed to his family by the Taliban when he tried to flee the country.
The man, who was given the pseudonym Hanan to protect his identity, was targeted by the extremist militant group when he tried to find a path to safety, according to ITV News.
The incident occurred after Hanan started talking to a man on social media who promised he would help him get out of Afghanistan.
Hanan spoke to the man for three weeks before meeting him – but it turned out to be an elaborate ruse. There, he was met by two members of the Taliban.
The men proceeded to beat and rape Hanan, and even demanded he hand over his father’s number so they could call and tell him his son was gay.
Artemis Akbary, an Afghan LGBT+ rights activist who is now based in Turkey, told ITV News that the Taliban is lying when it says its new regime will be more tolerant than its previous one.
Furthermore, he believes social media will make it easier than ever for the Taliban to find and kill LGBT+ Afghans.
“They’ll make a profile account and deceive LGBT+ people by pretending they’re a member of the community,” Akbary said.
“My friends in Afghanistan are scared, they don’t know what will happen to them in the future so they’re just trying to hide.”
Countless gay Afghans are trying to flee the Taliban’s barbaric regime
Akbary’s comments come as Rainbow Railroad, a charity that helps LGBT+ asylum seekers, revealed that it has been in contact with more than 200 queer Afghans who are trying to escape.
“Our fear with the Taliban is that members of the [LGBTQ+] community will be targeted,” Kimahli Powell, executive director of Rainbow Railroad, told CBC News.
“We’re already seeing disturbing reports that the Taliban is seeking out members of the LGBTQ community and a report of someone allegedly being killed.
Others have expressed concern for Afghanistan’s embattled LGBT+ community since the Taliban dramatically seized power earlier this month.
Speaking to PinkNews, gay Afghan author Nemat Sadat said the Taliban will “weed out and exterminate” LGBT+ people.
“The Taliban will impose a ‘bait, kill and dump’ policy,” Sadat said following the Taliban takeover. “That is, they will appoint informants to lure gay and bisexual men online and in public spaces and take them to a secluded spot and kill them and dispose of their bodies.”
Meanwhile, a bisexual man called Basir told PinkNews that he fears the Taliban will hunt him down and execute him if they find out about his sexuality.
“I am incredibly terrified, scared, stressed out, anxious, depressed and frustrated,” Basir said.
“I need to transform any act or behaviour against their rules, otherwise, death will embrace me.”
