LONDON: The UK government has been accused of “moral bankruptcy” after a leaked email chain showed that the Foreign Office has closed an email helpline dedicated to helping Afghan citizens escape to Britain.
An email from the Foreign Office — seen by The Independent newspaper — addressed to a lawyer helping female judges trapped in Afghanistan states “this mailbox is now closed” and that “no emails will be read or responded to.”
According to The Independent, more than 200 female judges are stranded in Afghanistan and living in hiding. Campaigners have warned that they are at risk of being killed by the Taliban.
Thousands of political prisoners, including Al-Qaeda operatives and other terrorists, have been freed by the militant group, and many of the judges responsible for imprisoning them now fear revenge attacks.
Lawyers at Mishcon de Reya, a highly respected law firm, told The Independent that they have launched legal action against the UK government after it rejected visa applications from 35 Afghan judges — both men and women — being hunted down by Taliban members.
“Closing the Foreign Office inbox is another example of the government washing their hands of the situation,” Maria Patsalos, a lawyer at Mishcon de Raya, told The Independent.
“It is morally bankrupt of them. It is symptomatic of their lack of caring about the situation. They don’t care about the people who are left behind. They believe they can close up shop.”
Female judges, Patsolos warned, are in “imminent danger” and are being forced to move from “safe house to safe house on a daily basis.
“The Taliban are knocking door to door to find them. Extended family members are beaten up until they tell them where they are. We have had kidnappings, one judge had two children kidnapped, but eventually had the two kids returned after extensive negotiations,” she said.
Two female judges were murdered in January this year, though the Taliban denied responsibility for that attack. Other female Afghan former officials, such as police officers, are also being targeted, and reports from within the country suggest that numerous police officers have already been killed.
Shutting down the Foreign Office email inbox shows that ministers deem the Afghan crisis to be over, said the lawyer, who added that it also wrongly assumes that the British public does not care about the issue.
“This is not the case,” she said. “The average person on the street cares about what happens in Afghanistan. Evacuation planes are going from Afghanistan. None of them are going to the UK as no Afghan citizens have been granted visas from the UK. There is still a chance to help those suffering who are in danger on the ground.”
The UK’s promise to take 5,000 Afghan refugees, she added, appears to be “hot air.”
A UK government spokesperson told The Independent: “We are continuing to work through the more than 200,000 requests we have received to date and support continues to be available seven days a week, with dedicated civil servants supporting British and Afghanistan nationals.
“We will continue to do all we can to secure safe passage to enable British nationals and eligible Afghans to leave the country. Our contact channels remain open for those seeking assistance.”
