"It is Time we Finish People Like You" Taliban Says After Stabbing an LGBT in Afghanistan
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| Sara was left with 18 wounds after the attack in Kabul – now a new organization, Roshaniya, is seeking to evacuate LGBTQ+ Afghans |
A gay Afghan has told of how they were left “injured and alone” after being attacked with a knife by the Taliban, as the country’s queer community faces persecution “in a society that has turned against them”.
Sara, who is non-binary and did not want their last name included, was left with 18 wounds after the attack in Kabul, including gashes along their legs, stomach, and back.
The 23-year-old said: “(The attackers) said, ‘Shame on you, it is our time to finish people like you.’ I wanted to escape but, unfortunately, I couldn’t. I lay down, then lost consciousness… when I opened my eyes I was in the hospital.
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“They didn’t take my things because they were not thieves, they were the Taliban.
“They wanted to kill me… I thought they wanted to get my cell phone and money but they refused to take them. I’m really hopeless.”
Sara added they had not celebrated LGBT+ History Month, which takes place across the month of February, due to their injuries.
Sara has rescued thanks to the help of Nemat Sadat, a gay Afghan-American activist who has aided in the escape of more than 200 LGBTQ+ Afghans.
Mr. Sadat, 42, from San Diego, California, said he was “surprised” Sara is alive.
“Sara told me they lost a lot of blood,” the author said. “They have now been rescued… I’m paying for their hostel stay, I’m paying for their food, for everything.”
He added: “Before the Taliban came to power, you had so many people that were transgender and non-binary. They were working as contemporary wedding dancers – not just in private homes but also in huge wedding halls in Kabul.
“They were working as celebrity make-up artists on Afghan television; people had fashion shows, concerts – it was so visible.”
“There’s Isis and the Taliban, and society has turned against them [the LGBTQ+ community]… they’re dying, and they’re still trying to live their truth.”.
Mr Sadat has raised $21,080 (£15,760) via GoFundMe to evacuate LGBTQ+ Afghans, contributing $8,000 (£5,990) of his own savings.
He described how he has been working as a “one-man army” for the past six months and has now launched an organization to evacuate LGBTQ+ Afghans, called Roshaniya, which he used to help Sara.
Roshaniya’s official Twitter account shared photos of Sara’s injuries and showed stitches across their legs and a stab wound on their lower back.
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Mr. Sadat said he hoped his team would secure grants and funding for evacuation, relocation, and resettlement for people like Sara.
“Our primary purpose is really to help with the relocation and resettlement of LGBT people from Afghan origin and nationality,” he added.
“What I’m really doing is trying to directly empower the LGBT community, guiding them and telling them this is what we think is best, but really getting them to fund their evacuation. We have to keep the drum beats rolling.”
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