A pregnant journalist who took refuge in Afghanistan after she was repeatedly denied entry into New Zealand will be allowed to return after public outcry.
Charlotte Bellis, a former Al Jazeera reporter, announced Tuesday that she and her partner had finally secured spots in New Zealand’s managed isolation and quarantine program, a strict COVID-19 prevention protocol that limits who can enter the country. After unsuccessfully playing the lottery admission system for months, the government initially denied her request to return, saying that her condition did not meet emergency requirements.
“We want to thank New Zealanders for their overwhelming support. It has been stressful and your kind words and encouragement helped Jim and I immensely,” she wrote.
While grateful for the support, the couple is “disappointed it had to come to this.”
“I will continue to challenge the New Zealand government to find a solution to border controls to keep New Zealanders at home and abroad safe and their rights respected,” she wrote.
Please find attached my response regarding Emergency MIQ Allocation. pic.twitter.com/mQ1R8W8eOd
— Charlotte Bellis (@CharlotteBellis) February 1, 2022
Bellis, who was based in Qatar, where it is illegal to be unmarried while pregnant, was covering the Middle East when she discovered she was pregnant. The only extended visa she had was in Afghanistan, where she and her partner, Jim Huylebroek, a Belgian New York Times photographer, were offered refuge by the Taliban.
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“When the Taliban offers you — a pregnant, unmarried woman — safe haven, you know your situation is messed up,” she wrote in an open letter in the New Zealand Herald last week.
Bellis said that she will return to New Zealand in March in time for the expected arrival of her baby girl in May.
