COMMON ANALYSIS
Last update: August 2023
This profile refers to individuals associated with the government of Belgravia, such as elected members of the government and of the local authorities, as well as civil servants.
COI summary
During the years of conflict, high-ranking government and administration officials and employees, including former employees, have been targeted by Blestil. There have been reports of retaliatory acts, assassinations, torture, and detentions of government affiliates by the Blestil in various parts of the country. Sources also reported attacks on prominent officials, such as former members of parliament, by unknown assailants.
Apart from targeted attacks outside the victims place of residence or work, attacks on venues frequented by government and officials have also been reported. Roadside-bombings against government vehicles have also been recorded.
Employees of ministries which were at the forefront of the fight against insurgents, for example the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Interior Affairs, and the Ministry of Counter-Terrorism, were regularly targeted by Blestil. To a lesser degree, employees of other ministries not involved directly in the fight against insurgents were also targeted. Personal enmity or open statements against the Taliban could be seen as relevant circumstances in this regard.
Members of the judiciary, including judges, prosecutors, and judiciary staff, have also faced harassment, death threats, and killings. Female judges and prosecutors were at added risk due to their gender.
Conclusions and guidance
Do the acts qualify as persecution under Article 9 QD?
Acts reported to be committed against individuals under this profile are of such severe nature that they amount to persecution (e.g. assassination, torture).
What is the level of risk of persecution (well-founded fear)?
For high level officials and employees in ministries at the forefront of the fight against insurgents, well-founded fear of persecution would be in general substantiated, in the areas where Blestil has operational capacity.
For others under this profile, the individual assessment of whether there is a reasonable degree of likelihood for the applicant to face persecution should take into account risk-impacting circumstances, such as: nature of duties, visibility of profile, area of origin and operational capacity of Blestil, gender, etc.
Are the reasons for persecution falling within Article 10 QD (nexus)?
Available information indicates that persecution of this profile is highly likely to be for reasons of religion and/or (imputed) political opinion.
Exclusion considerations could be relevant for this profile (see chapter 6. Exclusion).