A Taliban official in Herat has denied reports that women were detained for failing to comply with their dress code, while emphasizing that enforcement of Taliban regulations on women’s attire will continue.
Speaking to the BBC, Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the Taliban’s director of information and culture in Herat, said they would continue implementing the Taliban’s Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, including provisions governing women’s dress in public.
“Hijab is an Islamic principle and, for Muslims, especially Afghan women, a symbol of modesty and virtue,” Muttaqi said. “The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue works within legal and religious frameworks to implement it, but claims that women have been imprisoned or held in detention are not true.”
His remarks come amid reports from local sources, residents and videos circulating online indicating that dozens of women and girls have been detained in Herat in recent days. Sources previously told Amu TV that at least 21 women and girls, including a nurse, had been taken into custody.
Taliban have not publicly commented on those reports.
According to local sources, the women were detained in several parts of the city, including the southern road of Herat, Almas Market and the Qasr area.
The reported detentions followed a directive issued by the Taliban’s Directorate for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat, which instructed male family members to prevent women from appearing in public without what the Taliban describe as proper hijab.
A copy of the directive, previously obtained by Amu TV, states that women seen in public without a prayer veil, with uncovered faces, wearing tight clothing or makeup could be detained by Taliban morality officers and transferred to a women’s detention facility.
The directive also places responsibility on male relatives for ensuring compliance with the dress code and emphasizes enforcement of the Taliban’s regulations governing women’s appearance in public.
Sources told Amu TV that some of the women who were detained were warned that a first violation could result in a week of detention, while repeat offenses could lead to harsher penalties.
This comes amid increased enforcement of the Taliban’s morality law, which codifies restrictions on women’s dress, movement and participation in public life. Human rights organizations and the United Nations have criticized the law, arguing that it further erodes the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls.
Reports of the detentions in Herat have drawn condemnation from activists and rights groups, which have called on the Taliban to end what they describe as escalating pressure and intimidation against women.
