Abdul Sabor Husseini, a transgender person, was tortured by a group of unknown individuals in the western province of Herat.  

Husseini, 65, said that the individuals started torturing him after he refused to have relations with them. According to Husseini, the attackers burned his feet. 

“They were three people, and their faces were covered. They beat me and I was screaming and then I was unconscious,” he said.  

Husseini was also severely beaten by some unknown individuals last year.  

“I don’t know why and for how long I will be facing these problems. They beat us and insult us,” Husseini said.  

Transgender people in Herat expressed concern over a lack of protection, saying they face a tough situation. They have been abandoned by their families and society will not accept them either, they said.  

“I lost my mother, the only person I had,” said Yalda, a resident of Herat.  

“We are not free. We can’t walk freely. They disturb us and bully us,” said Ahmad Mukhtar, another resident of the province.  

Islamic clerics said that the harsh treatment of transgender people is against Islamic values.  

“This is how they are born. They shouldn’t be humiliated, and humiliating them is in contrast with Islam,” said Qari Mohammad Arif, a religious cleric.  

An estimate of the number of transgender people in Afghanistan has not been determined because many of them keep their identity hidden to protect their lives.