蜜芽传媒

As the Taliban tighten their grip on Afghanistan, members of the country's LGBTQ community fear for their lives. Under the Taliban's interpretation of Sharia Law, homosexuality is strictly prohibited and punishable by death.

A gay activist from Afghanistan who now lives in the United States explains the threat.

鈥淗alf of the gay men on my list are trying to leave with their boyfriends. They are going after the LGBT community because they are considered enemy combatants under Islamic Sharia law,鈥� he told Newsday. He said he was trying to help people leave the country, but that "not a single one" had been accepted, due to delays at the State Department.

鈥淲ho were at the front lines of social progress over the last 20 years? It was the LGBT community... Some of them have already been beaten up, some have gone missing,鈥� he said.

Photo: Taliban fighters in a vehicle patrol the streets of Kabul on August 23, 2021. Credit: Getty Images