A STUDENT from Bangor who fled Afghanistan last year when the Taliban took over the country has spoken of her fears for her family and the problems she faced in reaching this country.

Samira (not her real name), who is studying for a PhD under the Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA) scheme, was a guest of the Colwyn Bay Group of Amnesty International UK and was introduced by Alison Mawhinney, Bangor University’s Professor of Human Rights.

Professor Mawhinney’s presentation covered the status of refugees and their legal rights under international law as well as aspects of recent UK policies.

Samira, a former university lecturer, said that after the closure of the UK embassy in Afghanistan, she had to travel to Iran to apply to come to the UK.

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Although she was grateful for the opportunities presented by CARA, she was worried about her family back home, especially her nieces who, under Taliban law, were restricted to primary school education.

Members were told that not all cases turn out as well as Samira’s as many people did not have the time or resources to collect together all the necessary documents or find a suitable embassy to make a formal application.

Sometimes forged documents are the only option and Amnesty believes that countries receiving such desperate people should, under international law, offer safety, shelter and access to fundamental requirements to enable them to live, find work and education for their children.

CARA has its origins in 1933 when William Beveridge learned of the expulsion of academics from German universities on racial and political grounds.

The UK has used various programmes for those fleeing wars in Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine, and the group members discussed how the programmes were being administered.

The programmes for Afghanistan and Ukraine are still running.