Vice police in Herat arrest dozens of women – one dead in ensuing protests

Background: Tightened morality law since 2024

The Islamists had initially announced they would govern more liberally than during their rule between 1996 and 2001. Since their takeover in 2021, the Taliban have massively restricted the rights of women and girls. This affects access to education, work, and sport, among other things, and has drawn sharp international criticism. In 2024, the Taliban passed a new morality law.

The dress code is "a divine commandment and a law in force, and we are obliged to enforce it," the ministry declared. A spokesperson for the Herat police, on the other hand, stated that the gathering in the Jebrail area had "created tensions" and disrupted public order. Security forces would act against any "disruption of public order."

Contradictory accounts from the authorities

The head of the vice police in Herat, Sheikh Azizur Rahman al-Muhajir, rejected reports of arrests for violations of the veiling regulation. His inspectors had merely provided guidance and raised awareness of the Islamic hijab, the state news agency Bakhtar quoted him as saying. A statement from the responsible "Ministry of Vice and Virtue" said that reports of arrests in Herat by the vice enforcers were false. There was "nothing unusual" in Herat, the press office said.

The Taliban authorities initially did not comment on possible casualties or arrests. There were numerous arrests. Dozens of women and girls were among them, it was said. Some residents said security forces had also targeted women who were complying with the dress code, which requires full covering of the face and body.

International reaction and situation in the city

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed concern on Monday over reports that women in the west of the country had been arrested for alleged dress code violations. The UN mission said on Sunday it was concerned about "multiple arrests and detentions" of women in the western city of Herat for "alleged non-compliance with the dress code."

A 20-year-old taxi driver described the situation in the city in drastic terms to AFP: one no longer sees any women in the city. Taxi drivers had been instructed "not to transport any women without a chador anymore," he said. A young woman added: "Everyone is afraid."

The Taliban have been back in power in Afghanistan since 2021. The Taliban for their part say they respect the rights of women in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law. (APA, 9.6.2026)