Heartbreaking. Thanks for the link. I'm trying to clear a donation from my own collective. I also reached out to open collective to see if they can waive their fees for this one.
Heartbreaking. Thanks for the link.
I'm trying to clear a donation from my own collective. I also reached out to open collective to see if they can waive their fees for this one.
We're helping open-source contributors escape from Afghanistan war and Taliban repression.
Hi! This is Lukasz and Fran. We created this collective to help our friend and his family escape from the war in Afghanistan, however, we think it's possible to keep helping other people in a similar situation.
Not sure what their situation is, but this is what my highschool girlfriend had to say on 20 August:
Not sure what their situation is, but this is what my highschool girlfriend had to say on 20 August:
My dears,
Thank you all for the birthday wishes. This surely turned out to be a memorable one. I am in Kabul, safe, and despite the scenes at the airport that you all see on TV nowadays, most of the city is calm, and there is no reason for me to leave. I have passed through Taliban checkpoints without an issue, as a woman and a foreigner. I have bought vegetables in the bazaar and spoke to shopkeepers. Shops are open, electricity and telecommunications work. I have not been directly threatened. What I need from you is not pressure to go out – I cannot leave right now even if I wanted to, given the situation at the airport, and I do not want to leave. I am safe. Yes, the environment is fluid, shocking for many, and many Afghans have legitimate concerns about their safety. Tragically, the international community, including some western embassies that many Afghan friends looked up to as bastions of human rights and security, are fleeing, and countries are imposing an unannounced sanctions regime that will affect Afghan civilians the most, and not the new government. Banks, cash availability, and the economic situation are the main concern right now. What I need is your trust in the value of humanitarian and development assistance in Afghanistan, and, personally, support and patience.
For those working in media, be aware that titles such as “The Afghan Inferno” and “Crisis in Afghanistan” are dangerous. The chaos at Hamid Karzai International Airport right now is due to such irresponsible media coverage, which is swiftly translated into Afghan media. To an extent, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan did not win militarily, but won a battle of narratives. This was because of alarmist media that sells, fuelled by an ill-fated western push to get “peace negotiations” going by undermining the legitimacy of the government. Rumours transform into facts through hungry journalism, and this has included reputable publications. Sometimes I wonder, sincerely, how some things pass through an editor. These reports also create concern and pressure on us internationals left here from families and friends back home; I have personally been contacted by hundreds of people urging me to get out, some of whom I have issues remembering; my parents are terrified because of this one-sided narrative, and they have stopped trusting my judgement even as I have lived for over seven years in this country outside the confines of a militarised compound. Our families’ and friends’ concerns are entirely on you. As such, I am happy to speak, off the record and as my time allows, to anyone in the media.
Heartbreaking. Thanks for the link.
I'm trying to clear a donation from my own collective. I also reached out to open collective to see if they can waive their fees for this one.
Why escape?
Not sure what their situation is, but this is what my highschool girlfriend had to say on 20 August: