Afghan Athlete Resettlement Request Letter for New Zealand Minister Twyford
08 July 2022
Honorable Phil Twyford
Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth, Associate Minister for the Environment, and Associate Minister of Immigration
Parliamentary office
Freepost PO Box 18 888
Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160
Via email: p.twyford@ministers.govt.nz
Dear Honorable Phil Twyford:
We are heartened to learn that it is your mandate to develop immigration policy for New Zealand. You bring to this complex situation your vast expertise in housing and transport, along with your humanitarian experience in advocating for the rights of marginalized groups, such as refugees, with Oxfam.
Minister Twyford, the signatories to this letter seek to ensure that Afghan women, including human rights defenders, journalists, and athletes, and their allies evacuated from Afghanistan reach a safe final destination. We are writing with great urgency about the uncertain state of nearly 500 Afghans stranded in Albania. This includes 140 female football and basketball players who have represented Afghanistan nationally, coaches, and relatives evacuated by FIFA.
In our collective opinion, the young Afghan female athletes must be resettled immediately to allow them to rebuild their lives and continue their once-promising athletic careers. We believe that the Honorable Grant Robertson, Minister for Sport and Recreation, has proven his commitment to New Zealand women and girls in sport and that Afghan women and girls will also thrive in your country.
Please carefully consider our respectful asylum request for a special emergency intake, Minister Twyford, to answer the Afghan humanitarian crisis by welcoming these courageous people to 2023 Women’s World Cup host country New Zealand. We're hopeful that such a demonstration of leadership will influence other countries to follow. We write to you as humanitarians seeking a better life for people who have fled a brutal regime that has continually victimized women and children.
The New Zealand Labour Government and your predecessor promised to prioritize highly vulnerable individuals — in fact, very few people from Afghanistan have been allowed into New Zealand, despite the best efforts of signatories to this letter. We count only 1339 emergency visitor visas, and an additional 58 temporary visas have been issued to Afghans since the tragic events of 15 August 2021. Furthermore, due to COVID-19 impacts, we understand that agreed New Zealand Government refugee intake quotas for 2020, 2021, and 2022 will not be met due to COVID-19 impacts, leaving possible un-allocated spaces open that could be dedicated to the Afghan group referenced in this letter.
Minister Twyford, this is a unique opportunity for New Zealand to re-enforce its reputation for taking the moral high ground on hard decisions. We acknowledge a difficult period for the New Zealand Labour Government in navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic, with delays in return migration, ongoing skilled worker shortages, and other challenges being of major concern. Nevertheless, we respectfully ask the New Zealand Labour Government to invoke the same spirit that led the way in banning nuclear-powered and armed ships from entering New Zealand's waters to allow a safe pathway for this group.
Minister Twyford, we do not believe that the limited response is due to any ill will on the part of those tasked with fulfilling New Zealand's promises to the world, but we do believe that somehow, some way, it is possible to improve the process to allow asylum seekers more access to a safe start and equitable future in New Zealand. Please be assured that we all stand ready to do whatever we can to support the improvements urgently needed for these at-risk Afghans. We can provide a full manifest of the at-risk Afghan refugees in Albania to be considered for asylum at your request. Additionally, we confirm extensive vetting has been undertaken according to UNHCR guidelines.
Please see the annexes attached to this letter, which show the international media's attention to the plight of Afghan refugees currently stranded in Albania and the high-level support from influential organizations such as the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to find a safe home for them. ESPN recently traveled to Albania to investigate the situation and to raise visibility for the group’s plight. We trust that you will provide a positive ending to their story.
Media:
Afghan athletes who thought they were headed for Canada plead with Ottawa: 'Don't break our hearts' | CBC News
Afghan women footballers in exile fight to keep their sports dreams alive - SWI swissinfo.ch
One Afghan Woman Athlete's Story of Escaping the Taliban to Play the Sport She Loves | Marie Claire
BBC World Service - Sportshour, An Afghan athletes story: Fleeing the Taliban and life in Eastern Europe
With appreciation and sincere concern,
Equality League
Samira Asghari, former Afghanistan Women’s National Basketball Team Captain and Afghan Member of the International Olympic Committee
Neema Soratgar, former Vice President of the Afghanistan Basketball Federation
Malalai Anwari, former Afghanistan Women’s National Basketball Team Player
Athlete Ally
Athletes for Hope
Athletes for Impact
Denisa Bishqemi, Former Director of Communications, Projects and Legal Affairs for the Albanian Basketball Federation and Founder of Rrno Per Me Krijue
Kieran Bligh
Tim Cafe, New Zealand Olympian
Nikki Dryden, Olympian and Founder of Lex Athleta
Andrew Duncan and Elizabeth Weatherman, Co-Founders of The Romulus T. Weatherman Foundation
equitysport
Global Athlete
Sarah Gregorius, FIFPRO Director of Global Policy & Strategic Relations for Women’s Football and former New Zealand Women’s National Football Player
Benjamin Griffin, New Zealand Olympian
Dr. Sarah Hillyer, University of Tennessee Center for Sport, Peace and Society
Michelle Marciniak, former WNBA and University of Tennessee basketball player and Co-Founder of Sheex
Meikayla Moore, New Zealand Women’s National Football Team and Glasgow City Player
Julie Paterson, CEO of Tennis New Zealand
Ria Percival, New Zealand Women’s National Football Team Player
Marco Rojas, New Zealand Men’s National Football Team Player
David Rutherford, Former Chief Human Rights Commissioner for New Zealand
Ben Sanford, New Zealand Olympian
Bex Smith, former New Zealand Women’s National Football Team Captain and Founder of Crux Sports
Professor Holly Thorpe, University of Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand
Brent Wilton, Wilton Advisors
Vania Wolfgramm, Game Development Manager for New Zealand Women’s Rugby