British Man Describes Taliban Prison As ‘Hell' on Earth

Activists say the Taliban have decided to release Qadriya into the custody of her father—despite his previous calls for her execution.

In a letter sent to the UN office in Kabul on Saturday, the advocates appealed for urgent action. They asked UNAMA to use all available resources to protect Qadriya and secure a safe shelter for her.

Local sources informed Afghanistan International that the Taliban handed Qadriya over to her father the same day. In a prior video message from Taliban custody, she expressed grave fears for her life, stating she would be killed if returned to her family home.

The letter mentioned a voice recording, allegedly from inside the prison, believed to be from Qadriya. In it, she reportedly pleads for help from human rights defenders. Activists say she described previous torture by her father, who was also the first to demand her stoning.

In the video, Qadriya said she preferred to remain in Taliban custody rather than return home, unless a safe alternative could be provided.

Activists stressed that the Taliban released her solely on the guarantee of her father. They warned of the serious threat to her life and called on the UN to act immediately.

The letter also referred to a Taliban statement issued on 27 July 2023, when local authorities in Baghlan province announced plans to publicly stone two individuals—Qadriya and a man named Atiq—on charges of “illicit relations.”

In a recently obtained video, Qadriya explains that her father filed a complaint in a Taliban court two years ago, seeking her stoning. At the time, she was enduring abuse in her father’s home and fled to her sister’s residence in Kabul for refuge.

According to the newspaper, 26 Afghan women had their asylum applications denied in the first three months of 2024. In total, the UK has turned down asylum claims from 2,000 Afghans.

Official statistics highlight a sharp decline in the acceptance rate for Afghan asylum cases, plummeting from 98.5 percent in the last quarter of 2023 to just 36 percent in the final quarter of 2024.

The woman, identified only as Mina (a pseudonym), was a prominent advocate for women’s education in Afghanistan before the Taliban regained control of Kabul. She told The Guardian: “I assumed my asylum claim would be granted—I am from Afghanistan, I’m a woman, and I worked with Western governments. The refusal was an absolute shock.” She added, “Now every day I fear being sent back to my home country. Having a normal life here feels like an unattainable dream. I’m really suffering mentally.”

During her asylum interview, Mina detailed the dangers she would face if returned to Afghanistan. However, the Home Office’s rejection letter stated that she would not face a “real risk of persecution or harm.” The letter dismissed her claims of “adverse attention” from the Taliban as insufficient evidence and suggested that her occupation likely provided her with “a great support network.”

Mina’s UK solicitor, Jamie Bell, expressed dismay at the decision, telling The Guardian: “It is shocking that 26 Afghan women were refused asylum in the last quarter.” He criticized the Home Office’s stance, calling it “deeply concerning” that the department believes women who risked their lives defending human rights would not be in danger upon returning to Afghanistan. Bell emphasized that the UK should take pride in supporting individuals like Mina.

They appealed to Afghans to “stand with us to claim our rights from the Taliban” and urged the international community to pressure the Taliban to release owed pensions.

In a video clip sent to Afghanistan International, a retiree accused the Taliban of four years of broken promises, revealing he lacked bread during Eid al-Fitr and sold his carpet to survive.

Since seizing Kabul in August 2021, the Taliban halted pension payments, exacerbating economic hardship amid rising poverty, unemployment, and soaring prices for essentials.

Retirees say the absence of pensions has plunged their lives into severe difficulty. Three months ago, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada directed pension cases to special courts, but protesters claim this has only sown confusion without delivering results.

Kabir proposed a joint session with Iranian officials to negotiate their return, according to a Saturday statement from the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees, which highlighted discussions on bilateral ties and repatriation.

Kabir noted frequent Iranian visits to Kabul as a sign of Tehran’s interest in friendly relations, urging Iran to allow Afghan refugees more time for voluntary return. He revealed plans for a mechanism to provide legal documents to Afghans whose residency in Iran has expired, ensuring lawful stays.

Bahrami invited Kabir to Tehran, suggesting a pre-visit roadmap to enhance progress on a mutual repatriation agreement.

Bahrami claimed 8 million Afghans reside in Iran, with 4 million lacking legal documents or overstaying permits. The Iranian Embassy in Kabul previously stated the Taliban agreed to repatriate undocumented migrants.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported over 1.2 million Afghans returned from Iran in 2024, with 67 percent forcibly deported. Nader Yarahmadi, head of Iran’s Migration Center, earlier said over 3 million Afghans were deported in the past three years.

NSC spokesperson James Hewitt said no discussions are underway about the embassy’s status, while a State Department spokesperson added, “The US does not recognise any entity as Afghanistan’s government and has no plans to reopen its embassy.”

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid recently told Al Arabiya that the group had asked the US to relinquish control of the Afghan embassy in Washington and reopen its Kabul mission, awaiting a response. The NSC countered: “We’ve made no commitments on the Afghan Embassy in Washington, and no talks are ongoing about the US Embassy compound in Kabul.”

Last month, a US delegation—including Adam Boehler, Donald Trump’s hostage affairs envoy, and Zalmay Khalilzad, former Afghanistan envoy—visited Kabul, meeting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Some reports suggest they first travelled to Kandahar to confer with figures close to Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah.

The Taliban sought recognition as Afghanistan’s legitimate government during these talks and later released George Glezmann, a 66-year-old American tourist. Mujahid noted the US responded by lifting bounties on Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s Interior Minister, and two Haqqani Network members, calling it a positive step for relations.

The US closed its Kabul embassy in August 2021 after withdrawing from Afghanistan, with diplomats since operating from Qatar. CNN reported, citing US officials, that the Taliban is pushing to win favour with Trump, aiming for formal ties and a US political office.

However, sources told CNN the US still designates the Taliban as a terrorist group, a view echoed by Vice President J.D. Vance, who once labelled them among the world’s worst terrorist organisations.