Since the Taliban’s return, nearly every form of art in Afghanistan has been suppressed: music silenced, instruments destroyed, and cultural spaces shut down. Afghan artists, musicians, and cultural workers have faced harassment, arrest, and threats to their lives for simply practicing their craft.
Germany’s federal admission program (BAP) promised safe relocation to many of these artists. They passed all checks and were approved. But as of April 2025, the Foreign Office has stopped issuing their visas — due to political reasons — leaving over 2,400 people trapped in Pakistan, some under active threat of deportation back to Afghanistan.
Each day of delay risks not only lives, but the loss of a vibrant cultural heritage that has survived centuries. Issuing the visas is a legal commitment Germany made, and an urgent moral imperative.
Post now to demand Germany keep its word: protect Afghan artists, and protect Afghanistan’s culture.