Heavy Taliban Military Presence Stifles Planned Herat Protests

Eyewitnesses and local residents told Afghanistan International that a number of citizens gathered outside the office of the Taliban governor. Shortly after the protest began, Taliban forces opened fire to disperse the crowd.

Videos obtained by Afghanistan International show protesters chanting slogans in support of the right to education and work, as well as “Woman, Life, Freedom”.

This was the second protest against the Taliban in Herat in recent days. Earlier, Taliban forces violently suppressed demonstrations in the Jebrail area of the city. The United Nations later confirmed that at least one person was killed in Taliban gunfire.

The latest protest followed the mass detention of women in Herat.

Speaking at a press briefing in New York on Wednesday, June 10, Haq said the United Nations is calling for an environment in which all Afghans, particularly women and girls, can safely and freely access essential services and humanitarian assistance, including healthcare, nutrition, education and protection services.

Citing assessments by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Haq said dozens of women and girls had been detained in Herat in recent days for allegedly failing to comply with the Taliban’s strict dress code regulations. He noted that some of those detained were healthcare workers.

The UN mission in Afghanistan said on Wednesday that at least 30 women were detained by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat between June 7 and 8 on accusations of violating dress code instructions. According to the UN, dozens of other women received verbal warnings.

UNAMA also confirmed that at least one teenage boy was killed by Taliban gunfire and several others were injured after being beaten.

The mission said reports of a second death are still being verified.

During his remarks, the UN spokesperson also expressed concern about the violence and detention of women and girls, as well as the escalation of tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The organisation called on the international community to take action to secure the release of those detained and to hold the Taliban accountable.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, June 10, the Congress said no woman should be arrested, humiliated or imprisoned because of her appearance. The statement also stressed citizens’ right to hold peaceful demonstrations.

The World Liberty Congress said the repression of women, journalists and human rights defenders in Afghanistan reflects the Taliban’s disregard for human rights and constitutes gender apartheid.

The organisation also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all women detained in Herat and elsewhere in Afghanistan, as well as the release of all imprisoned journalists, human rights defenders and civil society activists.

The Congress further urged an immediate end to violence, intimidation and arbitrary arrests in Afghanistan.

It also called for greater international efforts to recognise gender apartheid as a crime under international law and reaffirmed its solidarity with the women of Afghanistan.

For security reasons and to protect her safety, Afghanistan International is withholding the woman’s identity.

Several days after the incident, local police authorities and the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Kabul have not provided any clear information to her family about her whereabouts.

One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “We have approached all the relevant offices, but no one accepts responsibility for the arrest or tells us where she has been taken. We are deeply concerned about her wellbeing and that of her child.”

Taliban authorities have not explained why the woman was detained. However, morality police officers commonly detain women accused of failing to comply with the Taliban’s interpretation of the hijab requirements.

Afghanistan International sought comment from spokespeople for the Taliban’s morality police and Kabul police command, but neither responded to requests for information.

The detention comes amid an increase in the arrest of women and girls in major cities, particularly Herat, Balkh and Kabul, on accusations of what the Taliban describe as improper hijab or violations of their decrees.

International human rights organisations, including the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), have previously warned about the arbitrary detention of women and the psychological and physical impact such arrests can have on families, calling for an immediate end to the practice.

Some civil society activists say the Taliban’s treatment of women exceeds even the conduct of Soviet forces during the Soviet-Afghan war. One community elder in western Kabul said that when Soviet soldiers entered villages in the 1980s to arrest men, they generally did not target women if the men had fled to the mountains.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Bennett said: “t’s time to defuse the tension, respect citizens’ freedom of expression, especially women and girls, and avoid further harm.”

The UN rapporteur had earlier reported that, for a third consecutive day, large numbers of women in Herat had been arbitrarily detained for allegedly violating the Taliban’s dress code rules.

He stressed that such detentions were unlawful and unacceptable, adding that the arrests must stop and the women should be released immediately.