Artists at Risk (AR)Lives of Artists at Risk: Fatima Khaliqi & Masiha Khaliqi
After nearly three years of fear, hiding and uncertainty, the Afghan actress Fatima Khaliqi and her daughter, actress Masiha Khaliqi, have safely arrived in Germany with their family through the longstanding efforts of the Artists at Risk (AR) Afghanistan Team.
Their arrival is a moment of relief, after the excruciatingly long wait for the results of the German Federal Admission Program (BAP). Their story is a reminder that for artists, especially women artists in Afghanistan, the dangers are horrific, ongoing and life-threatening.
Both Fatima and Masiha Khaliqi were active in Afghan television before August 2021. Following the Taliban’s return to power, their public visibility as women artists made them targets of persecution, forcing the family into years of invisibility and living under constant threat.
While we welcome this family’s safe arrival, hundreds of Afghan artists remain trapped. Many were registered under BAP for years. This programme has now been closed for all new cases under the current conservative German government.
We welcome Fatima and Masiha Khaliqi and their family to Germany and wish them safety, rest and recovery after years of fear.
