The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Sunday that it was concerned about reports of multiple arrests and detentions of women in the country’s western province of Herat for alleged non-compliance with dress requirements.
In a statement, UNAMA said the reported incidents raise serious human rights concerns.
“We remind the de facto authorities that all people have the right to freedom of movement and that all persons, both women and men, are entitled to equality before the law,” the statement said.
Residents of Herat reported that the Taliban authorities’ religious police had used mosque announcements in recent days to warn that women must comply with the country’s hijab law and that legal action could be taken in cases of non-compliance.
The Taliban authorities require women in Afghanistan to wear an all-covering hijab in public. In previous reports on hijab enforcement operations, UNAMA said that some women and girls were released after a few hours or overnight after male relatives signed written guarantees of future compliance.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban authorities have introduced a series of measures affecting women in public life, including barring girls and women from education beyond primary school.
The Taliban authorities have faced international criticism over restrictions imposed on women and girls.