Two Afghan LGBTQ+ activists have been detained by Taliban authorities at Kabul International Airport, according to human rights activist Nemat Sadat.
Sadat, executive director of Roshaniya, an organisation supporting the LGBTQ+ community, confirmed the detention in a statement on Tuesday. The activists were apprehended while attempting to board a flight to Tehran on Thursday, 20 March.
Maryam Ravish, an Afghan lesbian woman, and Abdul Ghafoor Sabery, a transgender Afghan, were stopped by Taliban intelligence officers as they prepared to board a Mahan Air flight. Parwen Hussaini, Ravish’s same-sex partner, was allowed to leave because she was accompanied by a male relative.
Sadat said the Taliban identified the activists by inspecting their mobile phones, subsequently preventing their departure. Another individual assisting the evacuation attempt was also detained.
Roshaniya stated it had spent more than $5,000 and several months planning to evacuate these three LGBTQ+ community members from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Efforts by Roshaniya to secure the release of the detained activists through their families were unsuccessful, as their families refused to cooperate.
The organisation has received conflicting reports about Maryam Ravish’s condition. Some sources claim she remains in Taliban custody; neighbours report her release, and acquaintances say she has attempted suicide.
Neither the Taliban nor the activists’ families have publicly commented on the incident.
