The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed grave concern over the arrest of at least 30 women in Herat between 6 and 7 June, reportedly for allegedly violating Taliban-imposed dress code directives, and over the excessive use of force against residents who subsequently took to the streets in protest. The UN mission is calling on Taliban authorities to revoke all policies restricting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Afghan women and girls.

The Herat Arrests and Protest Crackdown

According to UNAMA, the detained women were arrested for allegedly flouting dress code instructions issued by the Taliban's Directorate for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat. Dozens more women reportedly received verbal warnings during the same period.

Following protests on 9 June in the Jibreil area of Herat City over these detentions, UNAMA confirmed that at least one person — a boy — was killed by gunfire, while several others suffered injuries from being beaten with sticks. The mission said it is also verifying reports of a second fatality during the unrest.

What the Taliban Directive Said

The arrests followed a directive from the Taliban's Herat vice-and-virtue body ordering male family members to ensure women comply with the Taliban's interpretation of Islamic dress requirements. Under the directive, women seen in public without a prayer veil, with uncovered faces, or wearing tight clothes or makeup could face detention and transfer to a women's detention facility.

What UNAMA and UN Officials Said

Georgette Gagnon, the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Officer-in-Charge for UNAMA, underscored the severe social consequences of these detentions. '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,' she said.

Gagnon added: '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.'

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, and that people must be able to express dissent peacefully without fear of violence, intimidation, or reprisals.

International Response and Broader Context

The international community has condemned the detention of Afghan women and girls in Herat. This comes amid a sustained pattern of Taliban restrictions since their return to power, encompassing bans on girls' education beyond primary school, curbs on women's employment, and sweeping limitations on freedom of movement — measures widely condemned by human rights bodies as constituting gender apartheid.

UNAMA's call for a full revocation of these policies marks one of its most direct public challenges to Taliban governance on women's rights, and signals that international scrutiny of the situation in Herat is intensifying. How the Taliban respond — and whether the detained women are released — will be closely watched by rights groups and UN bodies in the weeks ahead.