Adelaide man pleads for spousal visa application to be sped up, before it’s too late for his wife stuck in Afghanistan

An Adelaide man said his wife is trapped in Kabul after the Taliban accused her of being an American spy and is in grave danger as she waits – possibly years – for a spousal visa.

An Adelaide man and his Afghan wife, who is hiding from the Taliban in an apartment in Kabul since Sunday, are pleading for the Australian government to speed up her visa application before it is too late.

Too scared to reveal their full identities, construction worker Mohammad said his wife was in grave danger after the Taliban accused her of being an American spy and threatened her life.

The Taliban took back control of Afghanistan for the first time in 20 years this week.

Mohammed’s wife is a minority Muslim student at the American University of Afghanistan, in Kabul, an English teacher and a volunteer interpreter for an international student-led peace group.

The American University was in 2016 stormed by suspected members of the Taliban using a car bomb and automatic weapons. Thirteen people were killed and 53 people injured, including her cousin.

Adelaide man Mohammed and his wife in Pakistan earlier this year where they were married. Picture Supplied

“She’s trapped – I am scared if she comes out of the apartment they will identify her and she will be executed, sexually assaulted or kidnapped,” said Mohammed, a permanent Australian resident who fled the Taliban from Afghanistan in 2012.

The 27-year-old from Blair Athol said his wife cannot wait years for her spousal visa application to be approved, and needed Australian Government intervention now before borders were closed.

Speaking from her Kabul hideaway, his 21-year-old wife told The Advertiser less than a week ago an unknown man accosted her outside a Post Office, calling her by name before accusing her of being an American spy.

“He was swearing and he told me that I used to report to the American University and now that it is closed I was sending documents to America through the post. He said: ‘you are all going to die American slaves’. It was horrible and I am very scared.

“Right now I don't have any other plans. If I go out of the apartment there are Taliban everywhere – it is impossible to leave.”

The couple has this week written to the Home Affairs Department and various politicians, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, explaining their urgent circumstances.

Mohammed’s local MP Steve Georganas said the couple’s case warranted an urgent escalation of the visa application process.

“As a Shia Muslim, a woman and a student, (Mohammed’s wife) is in extreme danger of punishment, and even death, from the Taliban regime,” said Mr Georganas.

There is currently a government ministerial directive that de-prioritises family reunion of hundreds of Afghans in Australia – a process that can take one to five years.

The Home Affairs Department said it was working to ensure that Afghan citizens who are eligible for Australia’s protection are processed and resettled as a priority.

A spokesperson said particular priority will be given to persecuted minorities, women and children and those who have links to Australia, such as family members or those that have previously undertaken extended periods of study or work in Australia.

“Family visa applications from people in Afghanistan will be finalised as quickly as possible once all requirements are assessed,” the spokesperson said.