Taliban beats and rapes gay man after duping him to meet them on pretext of safe passage

In the latest series of atrocities, the Taliban has raped and beaten a gay man by duping him into meeting them on the pretext of providing a safe passage to escape Afghanistan, as per reports. According to British TV Network ITV, an Islamist insurgent lured him into a meeting through social media where both the parties communicated for months. Notably, the Taliban’s guiding principle - The Sharia Law - considers homosexuality as immoral. 

According to ITV, the Taliban contacted the gay man and promised him help to escape the country. The man had been communicating with a Taliban insurgent for three months after which the homosexual man agreed to meet the terrorist in the capital city of Kabul. However, once the two came face to face, the Taliban brutally beat the gay man and also raped him, according to the media outlet that cited Afghan LGBTQ rights activist Artemis Akbary.

The activist predicted that, despite promises, the Taliban is likely to continue prosecution of homosexuals in future. It is worth noting that even before the Taliban’s resurgence, Afghanistan was no safe haven for the queer community. Under the Afghan penal code, "pederasty" or a sexual act between two men was punishable with long-term imprisonment.

However, with the Taliban’s rule reestablished, it could result in death. Earlier in July, German tabloid Bild reported that a Taliban judge vowed to sentence gay men to death by stoning or being crushed by a nine-foot wall. The LGBTQ community in Afghanistan encompasses 700 people but is growing with more people coming out recently. 

Celebratory fire kills 17

Meanwhile, in the latest development, at least 17 people were killed and 41 wounded in Kabul in a celebratory firing by the Taliban on Friday, as per local Afghan news agency TOLO News. The firing occurred after the Taliban claimed that they had taken control of the Panjshir valley and defeated the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA). This has now been busted by the Resistance led by ex-Vice President Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud.

Taking to Twitter, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid instructed his soldiers to avoid shooting and not 'waste them' as they would harm civilians. The Taliban has cut off electricity and internet in Panjshir province and laid a siege by blowing up bridges connecting the province, urging the Resistance to 'surrender peacefully.' In retaliation, the Resistance has liberated Charikar, the capital of Parwan province, and Salang district from the clutches of the Taliban, refusing to let Panjshir fall. Ex-President Hamid Karzai has urged both the Resistance and Taliban to hold talks and stop the offensive to avoid killing of civilians. 

Image: AP