After being unable to return to her own country, New Zealand, due to Covid quarantine restrictions, a pregnant TV reporter from New Zealand says she had to seek help from the Taliban.
Charlotte Bellis described it as “brutally ironic” that she had previously questioned the Taliban about their treatment of women and was now questioning the New Zealand government about the same issues.
She had questioned the Taliban, as part of her work, whether they would protect women’s rights once they gained control of Afghanistan in August 2021.
Now she has written in a column published in the New Zealand Herald on Saturday that New Zealand has refused to give her a place in its “managed isolation and quarantine” (MIQ) system that would enable her to return home.
She is still in Afghanistan with her Belgian partner. The pair are not married, which could have posed an issue for the Taliban. But it has assured her that she will be safe there, Ms Bellis said.
She wrote: “When the Taliban offers you – a pregnant, unmarried woman – safe haven, you know your situation is messed up.”
During the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Ms Bellis worked in Doha for the Qatari-owned station Al Jazeera.
She found out she was pregnant in September, which came as a surprise because doctors had told her she would never be able to have children. She said that her “miracle” baby is a girl who will be born in May.
She sought for a MIQ spot through the New Zealand government’s lottery system, but was unsuccessful, as it is unlawful to be pregnant while unmarried in Qatar.
“We wanted to keep time under our sleeves for an emergency, so we chose to rebase,” Ms Bellis, who is now five months pregnant, wrote.
“The problem was the only other place we had visas to live was Afghanistan.”
She then called her Taliban friends and asked if she and Mr Huylebroek could stay in Afghanistan despite the fact that she was pregnant and unmarried.
“Just tell folks you’re married,” they instructed her, “and if it increases, call us.” “Don’t be worried.”
High-profile personalities, including opposition politicians, have criticised the MIQ system for being “unimaginably cruel.”
Chris Hipkins, New Zealand’s Covid-19 response minister, told the Herald that his office had requested authorities to review whether they had followed proper protocols in Ms Bellis’ case, which “looked to deserve additional explanation at first sight.”
Due to a paucity of capacity in the MIQ system, thousands of New Zealand people are stranded abroad.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s stipulation that people spend 10 days in quarantine hotels managed by the military has resulted in a backlog of people wishing to secure a spot.
Ms Bellis stated that she had sent 59 documents to New Zealand authorities in Afghanistan, but that her request for an emergency repatriation was denied. Her emergency application did not meet a requirement that she travel within 14 days, according to Chris Bunny, the MIQ system’s joint leader.
After accepting an emergency position in MIQ, Charlotte Bellis has confirmed she will travel to New Zealand in early March to give birth to her baby daughter.Bellis, who has been stuck in Afghanistan and is pregnant, was given a MIQ coupon earlier today.
Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson announced earlier this afternoon that Bellis’ destination, as well as flying arrangements, had been notified to her today.
At today’s post-Cabinet press conference, Robertson remarked, “There is a position in MIQ for Miss Bellis, and I urge her to take it up.”
