New Zealand to allow entry of pregnant reporter

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, February 1

A pregnant New Zealand journalist who was stranded in Afghanistan, has now been permitted to return, abiding by norms of MIQ, the quarantine system of the country. The lady earlier was denied permission citing country’s Covid border policy.

Charlotte Bellis gained attention during Taliban coup in 2021, when she raised questions on Taliban leaders about their treatment of women and girls under their rule. During the time, she also discovered that she is pregnant.

Bellis, resigned from Al Jazeera back in November last year and had no choice but to leave Qatar where she had generally stayed, because sex outside marriage is illegal there.

She later shifted to Belgium along with her partner Jim Huylebroek. She however was not able to stay there as well, as she was not a resident. She said the only place they had visas to live in was Afghanistan, where they had been living for quite sometime.

In a column published in New Zealand Herald, she wrote her application for MIQ got rejected which made her turn towards Taliban for help. She has been unsuccessfully attempting since then.

New Zealand on the other hand has kept its Covid dealing policies extremely rigid to contain spread of disease. The returning citizens are supposed to spend 10 days in quarantine hotels managed by army, has led to backlog of thousands of people.

When the case became source of huge embarrassment, the authorities came into action and she was ultimately given a spot for MIQ.

“There is a place in MIQ for Miss Bellis, and I urge her to take it,” deputy Prime Minister Robertson said.

Chris Bunny, head of New Zealand’s quarantine system, said the application was considered taking into account, the extreme threat of terrorism in Taliban. He further said that there were limited possibility to deliver help after withdrawal of US forces from Taliban last year.

Bunny also said that Ms Bellis’s safety, not publicity around the case, made authorities consider the application.

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