HERAT, Afghanistan: A group of United Nations human rights experts has strongly condemned an escalating crackdown on women in Afghanistan’s western city of Herat, where morality police have begun detaining dozens of women for failing to comply with strict dress regulations requiring full-body covering.
According to the group’s report, at least two people were killed, and several others were injured during protests triggered by the new enforcement measures.
The unrest erupted after women were arrested for not wearing a body-covering chador or burqa, as mandated under recently implemented rules.
Herat’s morality police reportedly began large-scale arrests, targeting women accused of violating the dress code. The regulations, enforced under the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV), require women to be almost entirely covered when appearing in public.
A protest held on Tuesday against the enforcement actions was violently dispersed. According to reports citing witnesses, security forces opened fire during the incident, while authorities have denied the use of live ammunition.
The United Nations experts stated that a boy was killed during the crackdown and more than 20 people were injured.
In a formal statement issued on Thursday, ten independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said that at least two people had been killed in connection with the unrest.
They warned that the reported detention of women for dress code violations raised serious concerns of arbitrary and unlawful detention.
The experts further stated that the enforcement measures appeared to penalise women for exercising fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, movement, and protection from gender-based discrimination.
“Equality, peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and movement, and protection from arbitrary detention are fundamental rights,” the statement emphasised.
The dress code enforced in Herat requires women to wear either a chador or burqa, with many also observed wearing an abaya, headscarf, and face covering. However, the rules reportedly extend beyond clothing, with restrictions including bans on make-up, visible hair, and requirements for socks.
Among those detained was a female medical worker employed by the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
She was reportedly arrested while travelling to her duties at Herat Regional Hospital’s paediatric ward after being stopped by morality police for allegedly violating the dress code.
MSF stated that the worker was held for two days before being released after signing a written commitment, along with her husband and relatives, to comply with the enforced clothing regulations.
The organisation expressed outrage over her detention, calling it part of a broader pattern of restrictions faced by women in Afghanistan.
“This incident is not isolated. Women in Afghanistan already face very severe restrictions on movement and access to public life,” MSF said.
The PVPV has not issued any public comment regarding the arrests or detentions in Herat, despite repeated requests from international media.
However, its regional department in Herat confirmed that new regulations had recently come into force and warned that violations could lead to detention or imprisonment.
The developments have intensified international concern over women’s rights in Afghanistan, where strict enforcement of moral and dress codes has significantly restricted women’s public participation and mobility.
