A protest in Herat, Afghanistan, turned violent when Taliban forces opened fire on demonstrators denouncing the arrest of women and girls for violating the country's strict dress code. The incident marks one of the largest public challenges to the Taliban's gender apartheid policies since their return to power.
On Tuesday, a protest in Herat, Afghanistan, escalated into violence when Taliban forces opened fire on demonstrators denouncing the arrest of women and girls for violating the country's strict dress code .
Footage obtained by Amu TV showed residents fleeing in panic down a street in Jibrail township, northwest of Herat City, as multiple gunshots rang out. Protesters could be heard screaming while armed officials beat others to the ground with long sticks. Eyewitnesses reported that several individuals were wounded during the shooting near an intersection known as Bahar-e Zendagi. Sources confirmed that Taliban forces continued firing in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
The demonstration followed days of mounting outrage over the detention of women in Herat for allegedly failing to comply with the Taliban's interpretation of Islamic dress requirements. Dozens of women, including at least 21 whose detentions were independently verified, had been taken into custody by officials from the Taliban's Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, according to Amu TV.
The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, strongly condemned the arrests, calling them illegal and unacceptable. I am deeply alarmed that for a third consecutive day, scores of women in Herat continue to be arbitrarily arrested and detained for violating the Taliban's dress code, he wrote on social media. The arrests must stop, and the women must be released immediately.
The arrests occurred in several parts of Herat, including the Southern Road area, Almas Market, and Qasr locality. Among those detained was reportedly a nurse employed at Herat Regional Hospital. Flyers circulated across the area on Monday, calling on residents to gather at 8am local time Tuesday in District 13 of Jibrail township, to demonstrate against the arrests.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban has steadily expanded restrictions on women and girls, including bans on secondary and university education, limits on employment, and increasingly strict regulations governing their appearance and movement in public. This protest appeared to be one of the largest public demonstrations in recent months directly challenging the Taliban's gender apartheid.
The human rights arm of the United Nations delivered a damning assessment of conditions in Afghanistan in a report released in March, warning that life for ordinary Afghans, especially women and girls, has severely worsened under the Taliban. Presenting the report, UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk said: The cascade of edicts and laws announced by the authorities since coming to power in 2021 is having a crushing impact on the Afghan people, particularly women and girls.
Women remain excluded from all education above primary school age, following a ban on higher education since December 2022. In November 2025, medical graduation examinations were held without the participation of women for the second consecutive year, after they had been banned from medical institutes since December 2024. Women deemed not to be complying with the chador requirement, the traditional Islamic full-body cloak, have been removed from public transport and denied access to public markets and services.
Meanwhile, a new law demands that girls wait until puberty before seeking to end a marriage and also requires mediation for women seeking to escape an abusive husband. The authorities have effectively criminalised the presence of women and girls in public life, Türk stated. Discrimination affects their healthcare, their access to civic space, and their freedom of movement and expression. Afghanistan is a graveyard for human rights, he concluded.
The latest violence in Herat underscores the escalating tensions as the Taliban enforces its restrictive policies with increasing brutality, drawing international condemnation and raising fears of further repression
Please follow us on Google to support us Taliban Herat Protest Women's Rights Dress Code Human Rights Abuses
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Gunmen Open Fire at Ohio Festival, Leaving 12 Injured and 2 in Critical ConditionA shooting occurred near an annual historic festival in Ohio, leaving 12 people injured and 2 in critical condition. Police are still searching for the suspects. The incident is believed to have started with a standoff between two gunmen who were shooting at each other.
Read more »
2 people open fire overnight on York city streetTwo individuals opened fire on a York city street early Sunday morning, according to footage obtained by CBS 21.
Read more »
Trial begins for man accused of starting deadly Palisades FireProsecutors accuse Jonathan Rinderknecht of setting the Lachman Fire, which would eventually spark the Palisades Fire.
Read more »
Neighbors give high praise to fire crews for their all-out response during Sorrento FireBystanders and neighbors watch fire crews as they receive evacuation notifications during the Sorrento Fire. Those in the Torrey Hills neighborhood are singing the praises of the firefighting crews for preventing this fire from getting any worse.
Read more »