described how she arrived at the airport on multiple days and was pushed back by the soldiers who threw water on the crowd, fired shots, and threw a smoke grenade into the crowd. After two days of trying to reach the airport gate, even with a visa to Canada, she said she only managed to enter the airport on the third day. “When we reached the door, the American army pushed the crowd of people back. It was [a] bad moment [in my] life. There was my son and his wife with me who is 6 months pregnant. I tried to save her from that crowed and I suffered a lot”.182 Kobra waited for two nights at the airport, before being able to board her flight. Mahmud, a human rights defender, managed to enter the airport after spending one night outside the gates, but had long wait times. 183 He describes his ordeal as unforgettable saying, “It took me around 30 hours to be boarded on a plane. We left for Doha, in Doha around 600 people were kept in the plane for around six hours. The weather was very hot, in the plane many fainted and were given oxygen”.184 He described how for six days during his travel he could not take a shower- a situation that impacts human dignity.
7.2
PREVENTED FROM CROSSING THE BORDER
Afghans who tried to cross land borders, an Afghan researcher, and the UN agency in charge of refugees (UNHCR), all told Amnesty International that the Afghan people were also prevented from seeking refuge abroad because most of the land border crossings were closed for asylum seekers.185
Spin Boldak border crossing. 2 August 2021. Planet Labs.
182
Interview with Kobra. Interview response sent via email. 10 September 2021. Amnesty International.
183
Interview with Mahmud. Interview response sent via email. 10 September 2021. Amnesty International.
184
Interview with Mahmud. Interview response sent via email. 10 September 2021. Amnesty International.
Phone interviews on 1 and 2 September 2021. Kabul. Amnesty International; UNHCR, Afghanistan situation, 1 September 2021. reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/Afghanistan%20Situation%20Emergency%20Update%201%20September%202021.pdf 185
THE FATE OF THOUSANDS HANGING IN THE BALANCE: AFGHANISTAN’S FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE TALIBAN
Amnesty International
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