Shahrzad (not his real name) is an Afghan refugee who has been residing in Malaysia since 2016.

He was working for a media company in Kabul before he was forced to leave after becoming aware that the Taliban had blacklisted him.

“I was publishing content about education, democracy and women rights. The Taliban does not agree with these kinds of values in Afghanistan,” he told Malaysiakini.

Together with his wife and children, Shahrzad fled the country and sought refuge in Malaysia. It was a tough journey and he could not bring his parents along.

Now, he worries how he will get his parents to safety before the Taliban finds them.

“They had left their house and went to another location. They cannot go outside the country.

“Both of them are sick, my uncle would go out and buy groceries for my parents. I’m in contact with them every day, and I told them, please go to the doctor.

“They didn’t, because they are scared,” he said.

Shahrzad’s story is one of many from Afghans abroad whose...