A Taliban crackdown on women’s dress code in Afghanistan has escalated into a rare mass street protest in the western province of Herat, with at least two people, including one boy, killed by security forces.
Officials made a wave of arrests in recent days targeting women and young girls accused of “improper hijab”. Residents say many families had received no information about the whereabouts or condition of those detained.
Witnesses told Rukhshana Media that about 70 people joined the demonstration on Tuesday despite a heavy Taliban security presence, chanting slogans including “Education, work and freedom” and denouncing what they described as the arbitrary arrests of women.
“People were afraid, but they still came out,” said one resident.
In response, witnesses say, Taliban forces fired on the crowd and later deployed special units to disperse the gathering. Local sources said two people were killed, three wounded and at least 13 others detained after being beaten by officials. The UN has confirmed one of those killed was a child.
In one video shared with the Guardian from the Jibrail district of Herat, armed Taliban fighters can be seen shooting at dozens of protesters. A woman’s voice can be heard screaming over the sound of gunfire, chanting: “Azadi”(freedom in Dari). In a second video, women can be heard saying: “They are shooting.”
“People are angry,” said Fereshta Abassi, of Human Rights Watch. “As far as we know, the Taliban have arrested some women in the past few days, and that’s apparently why their family members and others have been protesting [against] these rules. They see the Taliban as interfering in people’s privacy, which is unacceptable.”
Since the Taliban’s return to power, women and girls have been barred from nearly every aspect of public life: schools, universities, most jobs and even parks.
Protests are rare in Afghanistan, with the Taliban having banned all forms of unauthorised gatherings, responding to dissent with attacks, detention and torture of protesters.
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