EU Condemns Crackdown on Women in Herat, Urges Taliban to Respect Human Rights
The European Union has condemned what it described as the ‘excessive use of force in Herat’ and ‘arbitrary detentions of women for violating dress code regulations,’ urging the Taliban authorities to respect their international human rights commitments, including the right to peaceful protest. This response follows reports of women being detained and protesters being confronted in the province.
On Thursday, Anwar Al-Anouni, spokesperson for the European Commission, wrote on the X platform that the EU stands with the women of Afghanistan and finds the recent events in Herat deeply concerning. He emphasized that respecting the fundamental rights of citizens is part of international obligations that must be upheld.
Meanwhile, local sources in Herat reported that the Taliban-appointed governor held a meeting with local elders and district representatives, requesting their cooperation to prevent possible gatherings on Friday. According to these sources, the meeting took place yesterday in the governor’s office, where participants were asked to report any planned assemblies to the relevant authorities.
The sources added that Taliban forces have established checkpoints in various parts of the city, including the Jebrail area, monitoring residents’ movements. In some instances, citizens’ mobile phones were inspected and controlled, a move that has raised concerns about violations of privacy and civil liberties.
Simultaneously, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed concern that during the recent events in Herat, a teenager was killed by gunfire and several others were injured. The mission also reported receiving information about the death of another individual and is currently investigating the matter.
