Herat | Pakistan

Afghan security officials dispersed a women’s rights protest in the western province of Herat on Tuesday after residents said Taliban morality police detained women accused of violating mandatory dress rules. Witnesses said one person was killed, several others were wounded and dozens of people, including women and girls, were arrested. Taliban authorities have not confirmed casualties or arrests. Sayed Masoud Hosseini, spokesperson for Herat police, told the state-run Bakhtar News Agency that the gathering in the Jebrail area had “created tensions” and disturbed public order under the pretext of opposing the hijab, which he described as a religious obligation. Witnesses said the protests erupted when officials from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice attempted to arrest women opposing the mandatory dress requirements. Some residents said officials targeted women who were already observing the required dress code, which includes fully covering the face and body. Video from Herat sh...

Afghan residents in the western city of Herat have told AFP of witnessing multiple women detained by the Taliban government’s morality police, in a crackdown over clothing which has drawn criticism from the United Nations. The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Sunday it was “concerned over multiple arrests and detentions of women in Herat Afghanistan for alleged non-compliance with dress requirements”. Taliban authorities have gradually tightened restrictions on women since returning to power in August 2021. Women nationwide must be completely covered when they leave home, with many wearing a flowing abaya robe along with a headscarf and a face covering. In Herat, residents witnessed women being detained on Saturday for not wearing the body-cloaking chador or burqa. They spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity for security reasons. “I saw two employees of the ministry, one of whom was carrying a whip, putting two women who were not wearing chadors into a vehicle,” said a 23-year-old woman, referring to...