LONDON: The UK is failing in its mission to safeguard endangered Afghan citizens, especially journalists who are at risk of Taliban reprisal, a coalition of press freedom groups has warned.
The warning comes as the government waits to release details of the next phase of its Afghan citizens’ resettlement scheme, the flagship program to relocate selected individuals to Britain.
But delays have meant that the UK is out of step with European allies, including Germany and France, which have already given refuge to several journalists, rights groups warned, adding that they had received a “deluge” of pleas for help from Afghans to assist in their relocation.
The groups appealing to UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman include Index on Censorship, the National Union of Journalists, PEN International and English PEN.
Martin Bright, editor-at-large of Index on Censorship, said that Afghan journalists in their home country, as well as neighboring Pakistan and Iran, have been offered no reassurance by the UK despite appearing to be eligible for the ACRS.
He added: “Without clarification on progress for ACRS, there is little if any support that can be provided, and this leaves the journalists vulnerable to threats of disappearance, violence, arrest, imprisonment and assassination.”
Many Afghan journalists, mostly women, have fled to neighboring countries in search of safety, but remain at risk due to the presence of Taliban sympathizers as well as the possibility of being deported.
In the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, last month, news broke that several Afghan journalists had their personal electronics, including phones, laptops and cameras, seized by authorities.
A female Afghan journalist now living in Pakistan said: “During this period, I have gone through hell. There is much discrimination, racism and prejudice in Pakistan society, and hostility toward Afghan women, in particular.”
Many of the journalists previously worked for Western media outlets before the Taliban takeover in 2021.
A group of eight who worked for the BBC were previously denied UK visas, but had their applications reopened following legal action against the UK Home Office.
The ACRS was launched in the wake of the Taliban takeover by former UK prime minister Boris Johnson.
It aims to resettle members of Afghan civil society in the UK, and officially opened early last year to Afghans who had already entered the UK, offering a legal pathway to receive right to remain in Britain.
But the scheme has faced delays in opening to those still trapped in Afghanistan and neighboring countries, rights group have warned.
A government spokesman said that more than 24,000 Afghans had been relocated to the UK, including “campaigners for women’s rights, human rights defenders, scholars, journalists, judges and members of the LGBT+ community.”
They added: “Our work continues to help other eligible Afghans.”
