August 15^th 2026 marked five years since the fall of Kabul. Five years of the UK government repeatedly failing the Afghan community.  

For Afghans still living in danger, there are now almost no viable, safe routes to the UK.  

There has been no replacement for the Afghan resettlement schemes, which closed on 1st July 2025. Thousands of people are still waiting for a response. Refugee Family Reunion applications have also been paused since September 2025, with no date set for them to reopen.

Many Afghans remain in limbo, living in hostile environments, separated from their loved ones.  

The fear and distress caused by the Afghan data breach, revealed in July 2025, hasn't faded either. Immediately following the breach, we surveyed Afghans affected and published our findings in "I am not a case number, I am a human being." Among 230 respondents, 200 told us they now faced personal risks or threats to themselves or their families.  

Our evidence fed into the House of Commons Defence Committee's report on the breach and the resettlement schemes, which was published on 30^th July 2026.  

The report examines how the data breach became "a wider failure of governance, accountability and public trust." It concludes with several recommendations to the UK government, including setting minimum standards for handling any data where a leak could put lives at risk; publishing the lessons learned; and producing a clear action plan responding to the report.  

Shamim Sarabi, RLS Community Engagement and Research Lead, states: "we welcome the careful examination of the data breach and its impact on the lives of affected Afghans. The Committee's recommendations are an important step towards improving transparency, accountability and the UK's response to those whose lives have been placed at greater risk."

You can read the full report here.

On this anniversary, we stand in solidarity with the Afghan community.  

We urge the UK government to:

• Provide clear communication and timely decisions on outstanding Afghan relocation and family reunion cases, many of which have been pending for several years.  

• Ensure Afghan families affected by the data breach receive timely updates, appropriate protection measures, and access to legal support.

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