Rare demonstration against dress code arrests met with live ammunition, leaving casualties.
Taliban security forces used live fire to disperse a protest in the western Afghan city of Herat on Tuesday, as demonstrators rallied against the detention of women for allegedly violating the regime’s strict dress code regulations.
Eyewitnesses and local sources reported that security personnel fired shots-some into the air, others towards the crowd-while also using sticks and whips to break up the gathering, which involved both women and men. Reports indicate at least one woman and a child were killed, with more than a dozen others injured, though exact casualty figures remain unverified amid the chaos.
The protest erupted after Taliban morality police detained more than a dozen women in recent days for failing to adhere to the mandatory full-body covering, including the chador or burqa that leaves only the eyes visible. Demonstrators in Herat’s Jebrail area condemned the arrests and broader restrictions on women’s freedoms.
Rising Restrictions Fuel Tensions:
The incident underscores the Taliban’s increasingly harsh enforcement of gender policies since regaining power in 2021. Women and girls have been barred from most secondary and higher education, many public sector jobs, and movement without a male guardian. Public protests by women have been rare and swiftly suppressed.
Taliban officials have not publicly confirmed the use of live fire, with some accounts suggesting shots were fired only as warnings. However, multiple independent witnesses, including journalists and residents, described direct clashes and injuries from gunfire.
The United Nations and human rights organisations have repeatedly criticised the Taliban’s treatment of women as systemic gender apartheid. Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan Richard Bennett and groups like Amnesty International have condemned excessive force against peaceful demonstrators.
International silence and domestic fear:
As of Wednesday, no immediate international response had been detailed from major powers, many of which do not formally recognise the Taliban government. Inside Afghanistan, fear has gripped residents, with some wounded reportedly avoiding hospitals to evade further arrests.
The events in Herat highlight the fragile space for dissent under Taliban rule, where even small acts of solidarity with detained women can provoke a violent response. Women’s rights activists abroad described the protest as a brave stand against eroding freedoms, even as the regime tightens its grip on daily life.