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Afghanistan

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Disclaimer: This information on the situation of homosexuals all over the world may not be completely accurate or up-to-date. The information is gathered on the Internet and in other publications. If you have any additional information, corrections, comments or suggestions, don't hesitate to contact me at
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Updated 99-01-21

Information on the situation for homosexuals in Afghanistan:

Illegal

The punishment for "sodomy" in Afghanistan is getting crushed under a brick wall! Or flung from a hilltop. This is the result of the Taliban government's twisted interpretation of the islamic Sharia law - rules of conduct and moral set out by the Koran. This country is really doing its best to crush every human right you can think of. Women's rights is virtually non-existent, and all adult men are required to grow a full beard. For starters...

The Talibans occupy the northern two thirds of Afghanistan. The Taliban government is only recognized internationally by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The attitude of the ruling islamic Taliban regime is that "..homosexuality is a very big crime." (Mr. Mohammed Hassan, governor of Kandahar in an interview with Jonathan Steele of the Guardian News Service.)

On October 29, 1998, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar announced that boys be banned from the army until they are able to grow a beard. Having heard that boys were being used by men for sex, Omar renewed the promise of harsh punishment for anyone caught in a homosexual act. NewsPlanet

     * Friday, February 25, 1998: Executions failed in Afghanistan. Three men in Kotal Morcha: Fazalur Rehman, Ahmad Shah and Abdul Qahir, were convicted of sodomy and ordered to be executed by the Taliban by getting crushed under a brick wall, but they miraculously survived after 30 minutes in the rubble, and got redemption and medical attention. Two of them died, however, later in hospital. NewsPlanet and Rex Wockner International News.

     * Sunday, March 22, 1998: Two men, 18 and 22 years old, were executed for sodomy in the province of Herat! On March 22, a wall of clay and bricks was bulldozed over the two men named Abdul Sami and Bismellah.

     * Wednesday, April 29, 1998: Taliban soldiers in Kabul spent several hours publicly beating two fellow soldiers they caught having sex. Afterwards, the men were taken to a Taliban base and flung into a fountain for a "purifying bath." They likely will be handed over to a military court and sentenced to death by having a wall collapsed on them. Rex Wockner International News

newFriday, January 15, 1999: An elderly man (age reported from 60 to 84 years old) survived having a 15-foot brick wall bulldozed over him by a tank. Surviving this after half an hour automatically pardoned the man. The charge was attempted homosexuality, and the "alleged victim" was a 12 year old boy. The man claimed to be innocent as well as impotent. Metro and NewsPlanet
 
Age of consent Male-Female Male-Male Female-Female
Afghanistan ? X X
Any current laws concerning the age of consent could not be found, and does not apply, as homosexuality is against the islamic Sharia law.

Further information on the current situation in Afghanistan can be found at:

Amnesty International

Latest on Afghanistan from ReliefWeb.int

World Travel Guide

Statistics:

Republic, Asia
Area: 652,225 km²
Population: 18.61 mill.
Capital: Kabul
Currency: afghani
Independence Day: Aug. 18

ISO 3166 Internet Country Code(s):
.af
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