Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, on Monday called on the Taliban to immediately stop the detention of women in Herat and release those already in custody.
In a post on X, Bennett said he was “deeply alarmed” by reports that scores of women had been arrested and detained for a third consecutive day for allegedly violating the Taliban’s dress code.
“It is illegal and unacceptable,” Bennett wrote. “The arrests must stop and the women must be released immediately.”
His remarks come amid growing reports of a crackdown on women in Herat by 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, including a nurse, had been detained in recent days in different parts of Herat, including the city’s southern road, Almas Market and the Qasr area. According to the sources, the detentions were linked to allegations that the women had failed to comply with the Taliban’s prescribed dress code.
The reported arrests followed a directive issued by Taliban authorities in Herat instructing male family members to prevent women from appearing in public without what the Taliban describe as proper hijab. A copy of the directive obtained by Amu TV stated that women seen in public without a prayer veil, with uncovered faces, wearing tight clothing or makeup could be detained and transferred to a women’s detention facility.
Taliban officials have denied reports of arrests. Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the Taliban’s director of information and culture in Herat, told the BBC that no women had been imprisoned over dress code violations, while insisting that enforcement of Taliban regulations on women’s attire would continue.
The issue was also raised at a recent meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Georgette Gagnon, the deputy head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), cited reports that about 30 women had been detained in Herat by Taliban morality enforcers for allegedly failing to meet Taliban dress code.
Gagnon said the reported detentions were part of a broader pattern of measures that increasingly diverge from Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations.
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 restrictions on movement and access to public spaces.
Human rights groups and UN officials have repeatedly warned that the Taliban’s policies amount to systematic discrimination against women and have called on the authorities to reverse the restrictions.
