The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has raised alarm over the detention of over 30 women and the use of excessive force by Taliban authorities during protests against arbitrary arrests in Herat, Afghanistan. These arrests, conducted between June 6 and 7, were allegedly due to violations of dress code rules, with additional women receiving verbal warnings. A protest in Herat City’s Jibreil area on June 9 resulted in one fatality and several injuries from gunfire and beatings.
“A woman’s detention in Afghanistan carries significant stigma, exposing them to further violence and isolation even after release,” stated Georgette Gagnon, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Officer-in-Charge for UNAMA. The UN mission emphasized the obligation of de facto authorities to uphold Afghans’ rights to freedom of expression, assembly, liberty, security, and protection from arbitrary detention. It stressed the necessity for peaceful dissent without fear of violence or reprisals.
UNAMA called on Taliban authorities to rescind policies limiting the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls, including constraints on movement, expression, education, employment, and public engagement. The arrests followed a directive from the Taliban’s Directorate for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat, instructing male relatives to enforce the Taliban’s dress code for women in public. Violations such as lack of a prayer veil, uncovered faces, tight clothing, or makeup could lead to detention in a women’s facility.
The international community has condemned the detention of Afghan women and girls in Herat.
