We, the undersigned organisations working to advance the human rights of persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) call for the protection of women, children, LGBTIQ people and other vulnerable persons in Afghanistan.

Since 15 August, the Taliban-led takeover of Kabul’s Presidential Palace and the abrupt collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s government raises concerns over human rights and the safety of marginalised groups in the country. Besides LGBTIQ people and people of diverse SOGIESC, women, persecuted religious minorities, journalists and human rights defenders have come under threat, and many have gone into hiding out of fear.

We are concerned with alleged reports of the Taliban already implementing their strict version of the Sharia law, and it has been reported that many women and girls fear participating in public life and face the risk of being banned from going to school and university again. We are saddened to see the decades of progress made by women’s groups be potentially reversed suddenly and disastrously.

We also fear that LGBTIQ people will be further criminalised and persecuted, as authorities in the Taliban have made recent statements that death sentences will be reinstated for gay men. The Afghan LGBTIQ people have already been living in fear of violence and killings for a number of years, and we dread that this situation will escalate further.

In ILGA World’s latest State-Sponsored Homophobia (2020) report, Afghanistan is listed among countries for which there is no full legal certainty that the death penalty is the established punishment for consensual same-sex sexual acts (see here). The same report also updates on the explicit criminalising provisions of “same-sex conduct” under Section 646 of Afghanistan’s 2017 Penal Code and enforcement in recent years (see here).

While the Taliban has announced a “general amnesty” in Afghanistan and has called for women to join its government “according to Sharia law”, it is imperative that any form of governance that takes place, needs to empower women and minorities and be based on human rights and evidence-based practices. If the Taliban wants to include women, it needs to first stop preventing women from accessing public life and education and to not perpetuate any harm against women and minorities.

The crisis in Afghanistan is complex and difficult, but we remind the international community that it has a moral obligation—particularly those who have played a role in the development of the issue—to ensure that the political crisis is diffused via a solution that prioritises the self-determination of the Afghan people while protecting vulnerable persons from harm and violence.

We call for the following:

• We urge the Taliban to respect the rights of all people granted by the Constitution of Afghanistan, the international covenants ratified by Afghanistan, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and international human rights norms, irrespective of their SOGIESC status.

• We demand that any effort to quell this political crisis will be made with the consultation of vulnerable people in Afghanistan including LGBTIQ persons and women. Their human rights must not be compromised for a political peace deal.

• We call on the international community to provide urgent humanitarian assistance and protection to all Afghans.

• We urge that countries open their borders and accept refugees and asylum seekers from Afghanistan. We commend Canada’s commitment to accepting 20,000 vulnerable Afghans and prioritising LGBTIQ persons, women leaders and other groups, and look to other countries to follow suit.

• We call on everyone to work together to provide support in their own capacity. We call on individuals and groups to make donations, donors to make emergency funding available, and for organisations to assist in coordinating the collection and distribution of funds, noting the lack of LGBTIQ organisations in Afghanistan.

Endorsed by the following groups:

1. 6Rang (Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network)

2. Access Planet Organization

3. African Trans Network

4. Aleph Melbourne

5. All Out

6. All Women's Action Society (AWAM)

7. Alouen

8. Amnesty International Taiwan Section

9. Antalya Feminist Kolektif

10. ASEAN Feminist LBQ Network

11. ASEAN SOGIE Caucus

12. Asia Pacific Transgender Network

13. Asia-Pacific Rainbow Catholics Network

14. Bangladesh Queer Partnership Platform- EQUAL

15. Beyond Borders Malaysia

16. Bisdak Pride, Inc.

17. Bisexual Alliance Victoria

18. Boys of Bangladesh (Formerly)

19. Campaign for Change 

20. CAN-Myanmar 

21. CEDAW Committee of Trinidad & Tobago

22. Centre for Civil and Political Rights

23. Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia

24. COC Netherlands

25. Community Welfare and Development Fund

26. Covenants Watch

27. CPCD Studio

28. Dawei Probono Lawyer Network

29. Deaf Rainbow 

30. Diversity and Solidarity Trust - Sri Lanka 

31. Diversity Lounge Toyama

32. Doshisha University 

33. Edge Effect

34. ELLY Fukui

35. Equal Asia Foundation

36. EQUAL GROUND, Sri Lanka 

37. GAYa NUSANTARA Foundation

38. Gays Without Borders

39. Helem

40. Human Dignity Trust

41. Human Rights Defenders World Summit

42. ILGA Asia

43. ILGA World

44. Iloilo Pride Team

45. Inclusive Bangladesh

46. International Service for Human Rights

47. International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific

48. Intersex Philippines

49. isha lisha - Haifa feminist center

50. Ishikawa Conference for LGBT

51. Iwate Rainbow Network

52. J-ALL (Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation)

53. JEJAKA

54. justice for sisters

55. Kampania Przeciw Homofobii | Campaign Against Homophobia (Poland)

56. Kanazawa Rainbow Pride

57. Kaos GL 

58. Korean Sexual-minority Culture & Rights Center

59. LakanBini Advocates Pilipinas 

60. Legal Dignity

61. Let's Breakthrough, Inc.

62. Lezpa

63. LGBT Centre

64. LOUD (Lesbians of Undeniable Drive)

65. LOVE4ONE

66. M-coalition

67. MANODIVERSA

68. Manushya Foundation

69. Marsa Sexual Health Center

70. Matimba

71. Metro Manila Pride 

72. Midneunfemi

73. Monsoon Malaysia (MM)

74. MOSAIC Mena

75. Movimiento de Integración y Liberación Homosexual (MOVILH)

76. Mujer-LGBT Organization, Inc

77. Namibia Diverse Women Association

78. Nijiiro Diversity

79. Noboprobhaat 

80. Nőkért Egyesület (Association for Women), Hungary  

81. NPO Tokyo Rainbow Pride

82. Oogachaga

83. Outrage Magazine

84. OutRight Action International

85. Pacific Human Rights Initiative

86. Palestinian Working Woman for Development "PWWSD"

87. Pan Africa ILGA

88. PELANGI Campaign

89. Persatuan Sahabat Wanita, Selangor (Friends of Women Organisation, Selangor)

90. Pioneer Filipino Transgender men Movement

91. PLACE TOKYO

92. Planet Ally

93. PLUHO (People Like Us Hang Out!)

94. Pride House Tokyo

95. PROHAM

96. Proud Futures

97. PT Foundation

98. Queer Voices of Bhutan

99. Queers4Climate 

100. Rainbow Action Against Sexual-Minority Discrimination

101. Rainbow Egypt

102. RainbowJesus (무지개예수)

103. RFSL (The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Rights)

104. Sans Tabous

105. Sayoni

106. SEED Malaysia

107. Seoul Human Rights Film Festival in South Korea

108. SGRainbow

109. SHARE, center for Sexual rigHts And Reproductive justicE

110. Sisters in Islam, Malaysia

111. SOGILAW

112. SORANIJI HIMEJI

113. Success Capital Organisation

114. Swasti

115. Taiwan Association for Human Rights

116. Taiwan Equality Campaign

117. Taiwan Gender Equity Education Association

118. Taiwan LGBTQ Family Rights Advocacy

119. Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association

120. The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK)

121. The Global Center for LGBTI+ Freedom and Education

122. The Institute for Studies on Society, Economy & Environment - iSEE

123. Thorne Harbour Health

124. Together4Change: DAWOOM

125. Transgender Equality Hong Kong

126. Transgender Victoria

127. Transpiration Power

128. Trikone Australasia Inc

129. Tufts University

130. UP Babaylan

131. Visayas LBTQ Network

132. Women Against Rape

133. Women for Women's Rights (WWHR)

134. Youth Voices Count

135. にじ♡はぐ　石川

136. ひだまりの会

ILGA Asia is the Asian Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, representing more than 170 LGBTI organizations in East, South, Southeast, and West Asia, with the administrative office in Bangkok, Thailand. 

For inquiries, please email:

• Henry Koh, ILGA Asia Executive Director
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• Ryan Ong, ILGA Asia Communications Officer
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