Kobra Hassani, an Afghan TV journalist and activist, recently returned to her homeland of Kabul after fleeing the country following the Taliban’s return to power in September 2021. Despite facing the risk of being sentenced to death upon her return, Hassani initially landed in Ukraine after crossing the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. However, due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, she attempted to move on to Poland. Unfortunately, she was taken to Russian-occupied territories and eventually ended up in Russia.
In May 2022, while in St. Petersburg, Hassani was arrested along with 12 other compatriots for attempting to leave Russia illegally in an attempt to enter a European Union country as part of a conspiracy. A court later ordered her deportation, but she filed an asylum application at the end of the year. Despite this effort, her request was ultimately rejected in January. She was then sentenced to two years in prison before being released later that month and having her deportation order cancelled.
According to Hassani’s lawyer, Maria Beliaeva, her client lacked confidence in being able to successfully relocate to another country like Albania or Germany due to a lack of funds or energy. It is unclear if Hassani had any plans for her future upon returning home or if she simply felt it was time for a change after spending time away from her homeland.
