Gay Afghan Man Shot Dead By Taliban: Report
Image: Hamed Sabouri
A 22-year-old gay man was reportedly shot dead by the Taliban in Afghanistan in August. The young man who was killed was identified as Kabul resident Hamed Sabouri.
Trigger Warning: This story discusses brutal murder of a gay man, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.
A local activist told Pink News that Taliban kidnapped Sabouri and a few days later sent a video of his murder to his family.
Bahar, a member of Behesht Collective, an Afghanistan-based LGBTQI organisation, described Sabouri as a ‘shy ” young man who aspired to be a doctor.
British LGBTQI activist Peter Tatchell blamed western nations for the death of the young gay Afghan man. “His murder was facilitated by the refusal of the UK and other western governments to aid the evacuation of at risk LGBTs. They promised to help but have not!,” Tatchell posted on Twitter.
Neighbours Reporting LGBTQI Afghans To Taliban
Afghan gay author Nemat Sadat, who set up a crowdfunding campaign last month to help evacuate LGBTQI Afghans, said that since the Taliban took over in August 2021 “the security of the LGBTQ+ community in Afghanistan has deteriorated dramatically”.
According to Sedat, “Neighbours are reporting LGBTQ+ Afghans to the Taliban to gain social credit under their new regime. The Taliban have carried out house searches for LGBTQ+ people on their hit list. Family members of LGBTQ+ people have been killed or asked to turn over their suspected trans and gay children to the Taliban. LGBTQ Afghans have been abducted, tortured, and killed by the Taliban.”
The latest killing echoes the chilling warning given by Taliban judge Mullah Gul Rahim about the fate awaiting LGBTQI Afghans. “There are only two penalties for gays: Either stoning or he has to stand behind a wall that falls on him. The wall must be 2.5 to 3 metres high,” Rahim told the German newspaper Bild in 2021.
Crowdfunding Campaign To Help Evacuate LGBTQI Afghans
Last month, Sedat set up the fundraising campaign on GoFundMe on behalf of Roshaniya LGBT.
“In partnership with volunteers, we’re helping 800+ LGBTQ+ Afghans evacuate Afghanistan and reach a neighboring third country where they can rebuild their lives and then reach their destination in a free and open society like Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, The UK, and US where there they can honor their gender identity and/or sexual orientation. LGBTQ+ Afghans are high value targets and risk persecution even far away from the Taliban,” Sedat explained on the campaign page.
The crowdfunding campaign hopes to raise $150,000 and has so far raised around $34,000.
In January 2022, a joint report by Human Rights Watch and OutRight Action International said that “lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Afghans and people who do not conform to rigid gender norms in Afghanistan have faced an increasingly desperate situation and grave threats to their safety and lives under the Taliban”.
