Taliban Torture Afghan Returnees, Target Women & Former Officials, Says UN

The arrests reportedly occurred on Friday and Saturday in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of Kabul, where Taliban officers from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice detained dozens of young women for allegedly violating the group’s dress code.

UNAMA issued a statement on the social media platform X, saying it had contacted Taliban authorities to obtain more information about the detentions. The mission warned that such actions undermine public trust and urged the Taliban to repeal policies that restrict women’s rights and freedoms.

Local sources told Afghanistan International that Taliban officers used force during the arrests, and no female officers were present at the time of the detentions.

UNAMA reiterated its call for the Taliban to reverse any practices and policies that limit the fundamental rights of women and girls.

The teacher, Abdul Alim Khamoosh, was reportedly detained for comments made in support of modern education.

The Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has claimed the sentencing followed complaints from religious scholars. However, sources say the proceedings took place without legal representation and without the family being informed.

Khamoosh was previously sentenced to two years in prison after allegedly stating during the Iran-Israel conflict that modern sciences held more value than religious teachings. Following public and international attention, the Taliban reportedly revised the charges to include blasphemy, resulting in the death sentence.

Local tribal elders from Janikhel district are expected to travel to Kabul to appeal the sentence. Some sources have alleged that Khamoosh was tortured in custody and forced to confess to charges of insulting Islamic sanctities.

The case has raised concerns among rights organisations about the Taliban’s use of closed trials, corporal punishments, and harsh penalties under their interpretation of Sharia law.

Khamoosh had returned to Afghanistan through the Taliban’s so-called “invitation commission” after previously leaving the country. His family has been warned not to speak to the media and has not been allowed to visit him in detention. The total details of his trial remain undisclosed.

Saif-ul-Islam Khyber, spokesperson for the ministry, said on Friday that staff and managers from several media production companies had been detained, and their offices shut down. Speaking to the Taliban-controlled national broadcaster, Khyber alleged that the dubbed films were sent to foreign networks and served as part of a systematic propaganda campaign against Islamic principles.

Earlier in the week, sources in Kabul told Afghanistan International that Taliban morality police had detained dozens of young women from the city’s Shahr-e Naw area. A relative of one of the detainees said around 100 women were arrested from streets, markets, and hospitals and transferred to facilities operated by the ministry.

A video obtained by Afghanistan International shows a group of frightened women surrounded by Taliban officers during the arrests.

The Taliban has not provided details on the legal basis for the arrests or whether the detainees had access to legal representation. The crackdown comes amid growing concerns over the group’s restrictions on media, women's rights, and freedom of expression.

A relative of one of the detainees said approximately 100 women were arrested from public areas, including streets, markets, and hospitals, and taken to detention facilities operated by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

Sources indicated that most of the women were fully observing the Islamic hijab at the time of their arrest.

Footage obtained by Afghanistan International shows several visibly distressed women surrounded by Taliban enforcers. In the video, one woman is heard pleading, “You’ve already deprived us of life, education, and going to school, what more do you want? Fear God!”

The Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue has not issued any statement explaining the reasons behind the mass detentions.

Reports suggest that some of the women were released after spending a night in custody, following the submission of written guarantees by their families.

A day earlier, Taliban enforcers reportedly raided multiple restaurants in the same neighbourhood and conducted inspections. According to witnesses, the group’s morality police regularly visit dining establishments to ensure men and women are not seated together and to enforce dress codes.

Eyewitnesses have also reported Taliban officials instructing women in various parts of Kabul to cover their faces in public.

The punishments were carried out in the Gosfandi district on Thursday, 17 July. The Supreme Court said the individuals received prison sentences ranging from six months to two years, in addition to corporal punishment administered in front of local officials, court staff, security forces, and members of the public.

The court stated that the floggings were implemented only after the verdicts were confirmed by the Taliban’s highest judicial authority. However, the statement did not provide any details regarding the legal proceedings or whether the accused had access to legal defence.

Despite ongoing calls from international human rights organisations to end public punishments and the use of corporal punishment, the Taliban continues to carry out public floggings. The group maintains that such actions are consistent with its interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.