Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur for Afghanistan, expressed alarm on Tuesday over the use of force against protesters in Herat, calling on the Taliban to respect citizens’ rights and prevent further violence.
“Alarmed by excessive use of force against seemingly peaceful protesters in Herat today; it’s time to defuse the tension, respect citizens’ freedom of expression, especially women and girls, and avoid further harm,” Bennett said in a post on X. “Those responsible for violence must be held accountable.”
His remarks came after reports that Taliban forces opened fire to disperse a protest in Herat, where dozens of residents had gathered to condemn the detention of women and girls accused of violating the Taliban’s dress code.
Local sources told Amu TV that demonstrators marched through the Jibrail area of Herat City on Tuesday morning in one of the largest public protests in the province in recent months. Sources said several protesters were wounded when Taliban forces attempted to disperse the crowd. Taliban have not publicly commented on the incident.
The protest followed days of reported arrests of women and girls by officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Sources previously told Amu TV that at least 21 women and girls had been detained in Herat over alleged violations of Taliban dress requirements. The arrests included a nurse, according to sources.
The issue has drawn growing international attention. On Monday, Bennett said he was “deeply alarmed” by reports that scores of women had been arbitrarily arrested and detained in Herat for a third consecutive day over alleged violations of the Taliban’s dress code, calling the arrests illegal and demanding their immediate release.
The detentions were also raised before the UN Security Council, where Georgette Gagnon, the acting head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, said about 30 women had reportedly been detained in Herat by Taliban morality police and law enforcement officials for allegedly failing to comply with the Taliban’s dress requirements.
The reported arrests came after Taliban in Herat issued a notice warning that women appearing in public without what they described as proper Islamic dress could face detention. The directive also placed responsibility for women’s appearance on male family members.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls, including bans on secondary and university education, limits on employment and strict rules governing dress and movement in public.
Human rights groups, UN officials and foreign governments have repeatedly criticized the measures, describing them as systematic discrimination against women and girls.
