After years of repeated asylum rejections, threats to her life from the Taliban, and life in precarious conditions in Kazakhstan, Fatima*, an Afghan woman, has finally been granted a humanitarian visa and safely arrived in one of European countries, opening the door to education, security, and hope for the future.
When the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021, the life of then 20-year-old Fatima was thrown into uncertainty and members of her family worked with politicians opposed to the new rulers.
In 2023, when Fatima was granted a scholarship to study at the University, she hoped this opportunity would provide security and allow her to continue her studies. However, instead of a new chapter of freedom and safety, she encountered systemic problems in the education system, and a closed asylum system that repeatedly refused to acknowledge her documented fear of persecution.
Life in uncertainty
According to Fatima, when she arrived in Almaty in 2023, she was faced with discrimination at the university and unreasonable demands for payment to access exams (as she arrived in Kazakhstan by the end of the session due to the receipt of two visas). As a result, she lost her scholarship, had to give up her studies, and suddenly found herself without income or a residence permit.
Living without a residence permit, Fatima began seeking asylum but was rejected multiple times. During one conversation with the officials from the authorised body, she was even told that her personal information would be shared with the Afghan authorities. The fear of deportation dominated her daily life, affecting her sleep and well-being.
A mirror of the system
In 2024, the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights (KIBHR) began documenting her case and representing her in court. It quickly became evident that her experiences were not isolated, but a reflection of serious shortcomings in Kazakhstan’s asylum system.
Despite the country’s international obligations, in practice there is little access to protection. Refugees like her, who are clearly at risk of persecution and violence if returned to Afghanistan, frequently face repeated rejections.
A fragile hope
Following a week-long process to obtain her exit visa from Kazakhstan, she has safely arrived in Europe after being granted a humanitarian visa. She no longer has to face the fear of deportation and can look forward to a new start and restoring hope that had slowly faded over the past years.
“My biggest wish is to have a place to live, start my studies again, and soon to be able to see my mother,” she says.
KIBHR continues to monitor her case and those of others in similar situations to help ensure that people at risk are not left in fear and uncertainty but receive the protection they are entitled to.
“Fatima” is used as a pseudonym; the woman’s real name is known by KIBHR.
