Overview
- Local imams in Herat ordered women to leave home only in full-body veils, after which officers from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice began stopping vehicles and checking passengers' clothing.
- Eyewitnesses and video posted online report that PVPV officers detained several women for not wearing Tschador or burka, with witnesses saying officers used force and loaded detainees into vehicles.
- Street protests against the arrests were reportedly met with violent dispersal, with witnesses and footage alleging at least one death, multiple injuries, and dozens of arrests though independent verification remains limited.
- The Taliban ministry defended the dress rule as a divine law and downplayed unusual incidents while the United Nations publicly condemned the use of excessive force and expressed alarm over the crackdown.
- Observers say the events deepen a pattern since 2021 of shrinking public space for women in Afghanistan and could further deter women from using transport, attending work, or appearing in public.