KA v The Secretary of State for The Home Department

Facts

The appellant, KA, is an Afghan national, and an anonymity order protects his identity. He said that in 2022 he formed a relationship with a woman, F, whose father was a member of the Taliban intelligence service. F's father refused a marriage proposal and arranged for her to marry another man. The appellant said that he and F then tried to marry at his sister's home in August 2022. According to his account, F's father and six other Taliban members entered the house, F's father killed F and the imam, and the appellant escaped. He said he hid in different parts of Afghanistan until he left in January 2023, and that he reached the United Kingdom in June 2023, having travelled through several countries including France. He claimed asylum shortly after arriving. He also said that the Taliban were still looking for him and that his mother had been detained and questioned. He relied on documents said to come from the General Directorate of Intelligence and the Afghan police, a transcript of a threatening voice message, and letters from his mother and sister. On 5 November 2024 the Secretary of State refused his protection and human rights claims. She accepted his identity and nationality but rejected the core of his account. The appellant appealed to the First-tier Tribunal, which heard the appeal in person in Birmingham.