A lesbian is forced to flee her abusive ex-husband and the Taliban in Afghanistan due to concerns for her safety because of her sexuality, the harrowing documentary Gay Under The Taliban reveals.
The woman, who is named Odessa in the Channel 4 film, explains she was beaten by her husband so badly that he was jailed, however, after the Taliban came into power last year, he was released from prison.
Aware that her welfare is in jeopardy, Odessa managed to successfully escape to Pakistan but is met with further devastation when the man she runs to for help later gang rapes her with his friends.
‘My ex-husband sent people from Kabul to kill me, an honour killing because I left him and sent him to prison,’ she says. ‘But I got away, and I am now in Islamabad. I have nothing there.
‘A man offered to help me soon after I arrived with food and accommodation. At first, he was nice, but then he brought his friends over. They got high and then they raped me.’
Shedding further light on her helpless situation, Odessa shares that she tried to take her own life.
‘I am trapped here having sex for food and accommodation,’ she continues. This is my future. I have tried to commit suicide. This is a prison.
‘I am full of despair. I am full of upset. My family has rejected me. My life ruined.’
Odessa was forced into marriage by her family after her relationship with another girl was discovered at the age of 14.
She was beaten by her father and brother after they learned of her sexuality.
The Taliban’s policy on LGBTQ+ people in Afghanistan is execution. ‘We haven’t heard about any incident involving gay people, but homosexuality is a crime,’ the Taliban told the documentary. ‘If proved that someone is practicing it the case will be dealt with by the courts.
‘There are different punishments… Some scholars say they should be burnt alive; others have determined the punishment of collapsing a wall over them; some others prefer imprisonment. The Great Imam of our branch determined throwing them from the top of a mountain.’
Gay Under The Taliban exposes the horrific treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals in Afghanistan since the Taliban retook control of the country in August 2021.
Speaking to a handful of survivors living in Afghanistan today who have been anonymised so their identities can be protected, the film reveals the harrowing everyday reality these people are forced to exist in, and the life-threatening challenges and precautions they must take to live.
Gay Under The Taliban airs on Monday on Channel 4.
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