RASC News Agency: The United Kingdom has rejected the asylum application of an Afghanistani women’s rights activist, known by the pseudonym Mina, despite her extensive work on international projects supporting gender equality in Afghanistan. Now facing the threat of forced return to a country under Taliban rule, she confronts grave risks to her safety and freedom. Speaking to The Guardian, Mina expressed her deep distress over the decision. “It was a complete shock,” she said. “I live in constant fear of being sent back.” Having worked extensively with Western-backed government initiatives, she had expected her contributions and vulnerability to qualify her for asylum protection.
Prior to the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Mina was deeply involved in empowering Afghanistani women and frequently faced threats of violence, including bombings, kidnappings, and targeted intimidation. Nevertheless, recent data shows a growing trend of asylum denials for Afghanistani women in the UK. In the final quarter of 2024 alone, 26 Afghanistani women had their claims rejected compared to just 48 total Afghanistani asylum rejections in the same period the previous year. The official rejection letter stated that Mina would not face a “real risk of serious harm” upon return and claimed she maintained access to support networks within Afghanistan. Mina refuted this, explaining that many of her former colleagues have either gone into hiding or fled the country, rendering such networks effectively nonexistent.
Jamie Bell, her attorney at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, condemned the decision, stating: “It is profoundly alarming that a woman who has devoted her life to defending human rights is now being forced back into a state where her life and liberty are under direct threat.” The UK Home Office declined to comment on the specifics of Mina’s case, citing its policy of not issuing statements on individual asylum determinations.
