Pregnant woman denied re-entry to New Zealand offered refuge by Taliban

WELLINGTON: A pregnant New Zealand journalist has refused to re-enter her country to give birth to a child, saying she had been offered asylum by the Afghan Taliban.

“It just feels like a breach of trust,” he said in an interview with Radio New Zealand on Sunday (January 30th).

Ms. Charlotte Bells worked for Al Jazeera in Afghanistan, where her photographer partner, Jim Hewelbrook, also resides.

But it wasn’t until she returned to Al Jazeera’s headquarters in Doha, Qatar, that she realized she was pregnant.

It is illegal to be pregnant or unmarried in Qatar, so Ms Bells kept the pregnancy a secret as she prepared to return to New Zealand.

When told she did not qualify for an exemption under New Zealand’s strict Covid-19-enforced border controls and with Afghanistan the only other place she and Mr Huylebroek had visas to live, Ms Bellis said she called senior Taliban contacts and was told she could give birth there.

“We’re happy for you, you can come and you won’t have a problem,” Ms Bellis said the Taliban told her in an interview with the New Zealand Herald.

“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine,” she added.

“In my time of need, the New Zealand government said you’re not welcome here.

“When the Taliban offers you – a pregnant, unmarried woman – safe haven, you know your situation is messed up.”

After going public with her situation, and involving lawyers, Ms Bellis said she had been contacted by New Zealand officials who said her rejected application was under review.

The government’s Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said he had asked officials to check whether the proper procedures had been followed in Ms Bellis’ case, “which appeared at first sight to warrant further explanation”.