By Farangis Najibullah and Firuza Azizi Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty June 24, 2026 Fear has gripped Afghanistan’s third city as the Taliban government violently enforces a stricter dress code for women. Members of the Taliban’s notorious morality police have arrested and even publicly beaten women in the western city of Herat accused of violating a
The Guardian (UK): It explicitly allows children to be given in marriage at any age. It also forces women whose husbands are missing to wait until they are presumed dead before they can be separated. Part of the code that addresses abusive or neglectful husbands allows a wife to petition the court if her husband
Amu: Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said that holding talks with Taliban representatives in Brussels on migrant returns would be “an insult to Afghans, especially women.” Bennett made the remarks while endorsing a statement by Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, who criticized a new European
8am: As summer begins, several women are voicing complaints about being barred from recreational areas under Taliban rule. They say the restrictions imposed by the group have closed off nearly all leisure spaces to women, depriving families of anywhere to relax and spend their free time. Meanwhile, several women’s rights activists say the Taliban have
NYT: With secondary education and most jobs out of reach, thousands of Afghan women have turned to entrepreneurship as the only path to make money and maintain a social life. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: The Taliban’s security chief for the Herat police command, Najibullah Ali, has announced that the group will continue detaining women in the province over alleged violations of its dress code. Ali also confirmed that the Taliban have so far detained more than 19 women for failing to comply with the group’s interpretation of
Afghanistan International: Afghans and civil society activists in 14 cities worldwide rallied under the slogan “Education, Work and Freedom”, calling for an end to repression and restrictions in Afghanistan. The demonstrations in Herat, which started last week in Jebrail township, have now become a symbol of global solidarity with Afghan women. From Tehran to Brussels
8am: Following calls to action by citizens inside and outside the country to protest the detention of women in Herat and the crackdown on their demonstrations, the Taliban have stepped up the interrogation, detention, and imprisonment of social activists and social media users across the province. After the public protests in the Jibrail district of
Amu: Taliban governor in Herat has acknowledged the recent detention of women and girls in the western city, claiming those arrested suffered from what he described as “psychological” and “religious” problems. In comments published by Al-Emarah, a Taliban-affiliated media outlet, Noor Ahmad Islamjar confirmed that women had been detained in recent days for allegedly failing
Afghanistan International: UN Secretary-General spokesperson Farhan Haq said Taliban forces used live ammunition to disperse a civil protest in Herat. He urged the Taliban to refrain from any unnecessary or disproportionate use of force against peaceful demonstrations. Speaking at a press briefing in New York on Wednesday, June 10, Haq said the United Nations is