Gay man ‘raped and beaten by Taliban’ after attempting to escape Afghan
"Two people raped him, they beat him, and then demanded his father's number so they could tell him his son was gay."
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: Unknown Taliban fighters pictured in 2021 (Wiki)
A gay man in Afghanistan was recently raped and beaten after being tricked into meeting two members of the Taliban, according to reports.
As per ITV News, the man – whose identity has been concealed for his protection – spoke to another man on social media for three weeks believing he could help him escape the country.
The Islamist group seized control of almost all of Afghanistan last month, amidst a withdrawal of US troops under US President Joe Biden.
“My friends in Afghanistan are scared”
“Two people raped him, they beat him, and then demanded his father’s number so they could tell him his son was gay,” a source told the broadcaster.
The man is now living in silence under the new regime.
Artemis Akbary, an Afghan LGBTQ rights activist in Turkey, warned ITV News of similar attacks.
“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.”
In July, a Taliban judge said gay men would be punished by being crushed to death by a 10ft wall under the regime.
Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in all of Afghanistan and punishable with a maximum penalty of death.
However there were no known executions in the government-controlled parts of the country in 2020, but rather commutations or pardons of death sentences.