Women in Afghanistan arrested for violating dress code

Protests broke out in the city of Herat in the west of the country over the weekend after moral guards from the ruling Islamist Taliban Women because of alleged Dress code violations had arrested. The UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) had already criticized the arrests at the weekend.

The police director of the city of Herat confirmed this to the Afghan television station Tolonews the protests that the situation is under control. Security forces would take action against any “disruption of public order”.

Taliban: Reports of arrests are false

Local sources reported that on-site reporting was made more difficult because journalists were not allowed to enter the protest area German press agency. In Herat, the sounds of gunshots continued to be heard in the morning and the moral guards were increasingly asking women to carry out checks, it said. Dozens of arrests have been made in recent days as a result of the protests.

Videos on social networks show people firing in crowds and hitting people with long objects. Cries of protest can also be heard from female voices. The authenticity of the recordings could not initially be verified. In a statement from the responsible “Ministry of Vice and Virtue” it was said that reports of arrests in Herat by the moral watchdog were false.

The radical Islamic Taliban ruling Afghanistan passed a new moral law in 2024. This also introduced the new moral police, which is now said to have carried out arrests in Herat. For example, the regulations state that women must cover their faces when away from home.