UNMA urges Taliban to revoke policies restricting Afghan women’s rights

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan expressed concern over the detention of at least 30 women in Herat and allegations of excessive force by Taliban authorities. The UN urged respect for fundamental freedoms and called for an end to restrictions on women

Kabul: United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed grave concern over the arrest of at least 30 women and the reports of excessive use of force by Taliban authorities against residents protesting the arbitrary detentions in Afghanistan’s Herat.

According to UNAMA, these arrests were carried out between June 6 and 7 for allegedly violating dress code instructions, while dozens more women reportedly received verbal warnings. Following the protest over the arrest in the Jibreil area of Herat City on June 9, the UN mission said that at least one person, a boy, was killed by gunfire, while several others suffered injuries from being beaten with sticks.

---

It is also verifying reports of a second fatality during the protests. “A woman’s detention in Afghanistan carries enormous stigma, which can put women at risk of further violence and isolation in their families and communities even after they are released,” said the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Officer-in-Charge for UNAMA, Georgette Gagnon.

“The de facto authorities are obliged under international law to uphold the rights of all Afghans to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, liberty and security of person, and freedom from arbitrary detention,” Gagnon added.

UNAMA reiterated that all law enforcement measures must comply with international legal standards, including the principles of necessity, proportionality, and non-discrimination in the use of force. It stressed the need for people to have the right to express dissent peacefully without fear of violence, intimidation, or reprisals.

The UN mission further called on the Taliban authorities to revoke all policies and practices that restrict the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Afghan women and girls, including restrictions on freedom of movement, expression, education, employment, and participation in public life.

The arrest of Afghan women and girls came after the Taliban’s Directorate for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat issued a directive, which ordered male family members to ensure that women follow the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic dress requirements.

According to the directive, women seen in public without a prayer veil, with uncovered faces, or wearing tight clothes or makeup could face detention and will be taken to a women’s detention facility. The international community had condemned the detention of Afghan women and girls in Herat.