From Serbia, Afghan boxers seek refuge, careers in West

BELGRADE – They practiced successful concealed and struggled to get to an planetary tourney successful Europe. Now, members of the Afghan nationalist boxing squad are seeking refuge successful the West, hoping to proceed some their careers and their lives without information oregon fear.

The Afghan boxers, their manager and a apical boxing federation authoritative remained successful Serbia aft the AIBA World Boxing Championships finished successful aboriginal November, saying they could look retribution from the Taliban if they returned home.

"When the Taliban authorities came to Afghanistan, everything became changed,” Waheedullah Hameedi, the caput wide of Afghanistan's boxing federation, said. “It was hard to travel for a satellite title during the caller regime, the caller government.”

The squad has contacted respective overseas embassies astir securing humanitarian visas and asylum protection. Some European Union nations person turned them down, but the 11-member radical has not fixed up anticipation of uncovering a harmless haven.

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Tens of thousands of Afghans, including athletes, person fled the state since troops from the United States and different overseas nations pulled retired successful August and the Taliban took over. Hameedi said the Taliban bash not o.k. of boxing, and squad members basal small accidental of pursuing their careers freely successful Afghanistan.

“As you know, the concern successful Afghanistan is precise tough, precise bad,” helium said, speaking successful English. “They (Taliban) didn’t let successful archetypal days to proceed the boxing and unfastened the gym. Everyone was acrophobic to spell anyplace for boxing oregon for thing else.”

Hameedi’s father, a erstwhile caput wide of the Afghan Boxing Federation, was gunned down successful 2019 by chartless assailants. After the nationalist squad participated successful the Asian Boxing Championships successful Dubai successful May, Hameedi was determined to instrumentality his boxers to Serbia for the satellite championships successful precocious October.

Boxing was banned successful Afghanistan during the Taliban's erstwhile regularisation successful 1996-2001. While its leaders person sought to represent themselves arsenic much tolerant this clip around, Hameedi insisted the officials and boxers person faced threats and feared for their safety.

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“Boxing is ‘haram’ for them (Taliban,) thing successful Islam that is amerciable for them,” helium said.

Ahead of the travel to Serbia, the boxers trained astatine hidden locations and tried to enactment nether the radar, hiding their program to vie successful the planetary tournament, Hameedi said. They managed to get visas to spell to Iran, and erstwhile successful Tehran they applied for visas astatine the Serbian Embassy earlier rushing connected to Belgrade, helium said.

The 11 Afghan boxers competed successful Serbia arsenic portion of a 14-member “fair chance” squad sponsored by the International Boxing Association for refugees and different athletes who had to fly their countries, said Hameedi.

The group's Serbian visas person since expired. Hameedi said friends and relatives warned them not to instrumentality to Afghanistan. While thousands of migrants and refugees get successful Serbia, astir bash truthful readying to proceed connected to countries successful Western Europe wherever it is easier to find jobs and marque a living.

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'We anticipation we volition person visas arsenic soon arsenic imaginable truthful determination is nary occupation successful Serbia," Hameedi said." We tin permission easy to immoderate harmless state and their aboriginal volition beryllium granted.”

Hameedi said he, the manager and the 9 boxers who inactive are with them successful Serbia bash not privation to transverse borders illegally to scope Western Europe, but neither person they applied for asylum successful the Balkan nation.

Attorney Marko Stambuk, who works with the Belgrade Center for Human Rights, said the Afghan boxers contacted the enactment and person been informed astir their options for seeking asylum successful Serbia.

Stambuk acknowledged that the boxers fearfulness the instrumentality to Afghanistan due to the fact that of the Taliban policies and a mostly volatile situation. They are "aware of their rights and obligations (in Serbia), and present they are reasoning of what to bash next,” helium said.

Amid the uncertainty, the boxers person continued grooming successful section gyms. Hasibullah Malikzadah, 20, said helium is acrophobic to spell backmost to Afghanistan and wants to proceed boxing determination else.

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“I privation to beryllium bully champion,” and a relation exemplary for children astir the world, helium said aft a signifier session. “I truly privation this. I truly person a bully dream.”

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