LGBTQ+ Afghans have suffered sexual and physical abuse in detention centres under the Taliban, a CNN investigation has uncovered. The report detailed the stories of five LGBTQ+ Afghans who had been detained in the country since the Taliban took back control, following the withdrawal of US troops in August 2021. Nineteen-year-old Sohrab (not his real name) said a member of the Taliban “grabbed me from behind, tore my clothes apart and raped me”. He was sexually assaulted four more times. “My whole body was praying for my death. Every time, he would threaten that if I dared tell anyone, he would kill me with his own hands.” He had been detained on a charge of sodomy, after family members found out that he had a boyfriend and word of their relationship spread. After he was finally released, he was warned that if arrested again, he would face execution. According to the LGBTQ+ equality monitoring website Equaldex, homosexuality is punishable by death in Afghanistan, while under Taliban rule all queer media is strictly censored. Dressing in the clothing of the opposite gender is also illegal under the extreme militant organisation. Women’s rights have also deteriorated rapidly since the Taliban took over, with no education allowed beyond year six. They are also barred from the majority of workplaces, no longer allowed to visit parks and banned from reading, singing or speaking in public. In addition, women are not permitted to travel more than 75km (47 miles) from their home without a male chaperone.