An Afghan former police officer has said he is living in fear of Taliban reprisals after his details were exposed in a Ministry of Defence data leak and the UK rejected his application for resettlement.
Hamid*, who worked for the Afghan national police special unit, said he had received threats from the Taliban after the 2022 leak identified 18,700 Afghans who had worked with or for the British government.
He shared a video with the Guardian in which a man holding a rifle and sitting beneath a Taliban flag threatens to pursue him while referring to his previous movements.
Hamid said he received certificates signed by senior British figures praising his “dedication, unparalleled service and leadership”. However, the Ministry of Defence rejected his application under the Afghan relocations and assistance policy, known as Arap.
His latest rejection, received on 31 July, stated that he had not provided evidence of “working alongside, in partnership with or closely supporting a UK government department”. He has been given 28 days to appeal.
Hamid said he had submitted all available documents to support his case and noted that former colleagues from the same department had been relocated to the UK through the scheme.
“Despite this evidence, my case continues to be refused,” he said. “I believe my case raises serious questions about how some former Afghan partners of the UK continue to be treated despite years of loyal service.”
The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan on 15 August 2021 following the withdrawal of US and Nato forces. The UK launched Arap on 1 April 2021 and closed it to new applications on 1 July last year, although existing cases are still being processed.
Under the scheme, the risk of death or serious injury is considered only after other eligibility criteria have been met. Hamid said the Ministry of Defence leak had increased the danger he faced and left him unable to safely leave home to work.
He said his wife now supports the family through small jobs from home and that they were struggling to survive.
An MoD spokesperson said applications are assessed individually against the evidence provided and the published eligibility criteria, including how an applicant supported the UK mission in Afghanistan.
The ministry said the UK has resettled almost 39,000 Afghan men, women and children through Afghan resettlement schemes since the Taliban takeover.
