A father of two who received a death sentence on headed paper from the Taliban was given the right to remain in Britain.
Omid Sarwary, 29 years old, received several phone calls from men representing senior Taliban commander Molvi Abdul Samad in 2017. He was working for British security company Olive Group at a Herat airport, Afghanistan.
When the men on the other end of the line demanded that he help them get to the airport, the security officer and translator refused. He reported the calls to his managers at his firm, where he had been working since 2013, and changed his number.
After that, the Taliban began sending letters to his family home accusing him for spying and warning against working with foreigners.
Sarwary refused the Taliban access to the airport where he worked. He was then accused of spying by the murderous group, and forced to flee Afghanistan.
Omid reported the letters of concern to the police. However, they told him that there was nothing they could do outside of his workplace.
He was forced to flee by the last letter and began a four year journey that has led him to be separated from his wife and their young children.
The sign was signed in the honor of Samad with the Taliban emblem. It stated: ‘We had previously warned you to rectify your actions and stop serving foreigners.
‘It was discovered that you have been able to provide transport services for the staff to/from base.
“The commission has decided that a very severe penalty will be imposed on you, and that you must be executed.
“In any corner of the country that you reside, our suicide bombers can find you and kill your, just like they did to the Kandahar workers. God bless.
Molvi Abdus Samad, a Taliban commander sent this letter to Omid, informing him that he would be executed for spying on foreigners.
After a long journey across Europe, Omid arrived in the UK and settled in Kirkby, Merseyside.
He was depressed and contemplating suicide every day as his legal battles dragged along.
Omid received, however, a letter from his solicitors confirming that he was granted asylum for five years.
Omid, who was unable to work or study because of his asylum status, can now resume building a new life.
According to the Liverpool Echo, he said that this was a significant event in his life and for his family.
“Now that I have a plan for the future, my family can come here to be safe from Taliban.
“I can also continue my college level 3 as a mechanic and find work to support my family.
Omid has been through nearly four years of uncertainty, even though the future looks brighter.
Mr Sarwary settled down in Merseyside. He had fought for his rights to remain in the UK for four-years with the Home Office before being granted the right.
Despite his service with a British company and his bravery refusing to allow the Taliban to launch potentially fatal attacks on the airport, he was refused asylum by Home Office in July 2018.
Omid was told that he only feared the Taliban returning to Afghanistan, so it would not be unsafe or unreasonable to send him to Kabul or another area under Taliban control.
His legal team appealed the decision to the First Tier Tribunal for Immigration. The judge accepted his evidence that he was threatened by the Taliban and described him as a credible’ witness. However, he rejected the appeal for similar reasons in January 2019.
Omid was denied permission to appeal to Upper Tier Tribunal. In January, Omid also lost a request to the High Court for a Judicial Review.
His legal team filed additional submissions in February 2015, as a last-ditch effort to avoid being dragged onto planes and flown back home to Afghanistan.
After the withdrawal of US and UK troops in August from Afghanistan, the Taliban quickly regained control of Afghanistan.
Before his case was settled, he said to the Liverpool Echo in September that it was a difficult situation. I sit at home all day, take medication, and have not seen my children or my wife in four year.
“If it weren’t for my wife and kids, I don’t think I would be able to lead like this.”
Omid stated that his family had moved several times home to escape the Taliban. However, when the Taliban fighters took control of the country, Omid’s nightmare only intensified.
He said, “It is horrible to hear.” [that the Taliban had taken over].
‘I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach. I was so sick that I couldn’t eat for 24 hours. I was worried about my wife, mother and brother as well as my children.
Omid was described by his legal team as feeling “constantly anxious about his life” and having panic attacks. A psychological report was commissioned by his legal team.
The report stated that Mr. Sarwary said that the loss to his family members led to hopelessness and depression.
“He claimed that his children were very young when they left Afghanistan, and he longs for the opportunity to see them again. He expressed fear that the Taliban would harm them, and described how they had limited communication or contact with him.
“He stated that his family had been approached and pressed for information by the Taliban about Mr Sarwary’s whereabouts.
Omid was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and psychosis, according to the report.
The Independent recently reported that the Home Office refused to grant a blanket amnesty to 3,000 Afghan asylum seekers who arrived in the UK prior the Taliban takeover.
Instead, the department said that it would evaluate each case on its individual merits.
A spokeswoman stated at the time that “Noone who is at risk from persecution or serious harm in Afghanistan can be expected to return there.” All asylum and human right claims will be carefully evaluated on their merits.
“Given Afghanistan’s complex situation, we urgently update our guidance to reflect revised assessments of the risk of persecution.
“While this work is ongoing we have paused the decision making to ensure cases are only considered in light if the most recent information is available.
“Separately, the UK evacuate operation helped more than 15,000 people to safety. We also established the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme in order to assist those most at-risk.