UN says Taliban detained at least 52 women and a girl over dress code in Kabul and Herat

Detentions in Kabul and Herat

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Thursday that at least 52 women and one girl were arrested or detained in Kabul and the western city of Herat between July and September 2026. The alleged violations included wearing colourful scarves or makeup, leaving hair visible, not wearing a chador, and appearing in public without a male chaperone, known as a mahram. According to the mission, the detained women were released after being held for several hours. UNAMA warned that the real number could be higher because of underreporting.

The grounds for detention

The mission set out the grounds for the detentions in a statement:

Women were detained for not wearing a chador [an all-enveloping, cloak-like garment], having visible hair, wearing colourful scarves or makeup, or being in public without a mahram [male chaperone].

UNAMA said it was "gravely concerned" about the arrests, detentions and threats of arrest. It also said it was alarmed by verbal abuse, beatings and threats against women, including female shopkeepers. On underreporting, the mission said:

The number of cases may be significantly higher due to underreporting linked to protection concerns and stigma.

The Taliban government did not immediately respond to the statement.

Restrictions behind the arrests

Since seizing power in 2021 as US-led forces withdrew from Afghanistan, the Taliban government has imposed rules based on a strict interpretation of Islamic, or Shariah, law. Women and girls face a ban on education beyond primary school, along with limits on what they wear and where they can go. In public, women must wear a full hijab, which includes a headscarf, a long robe covering the body and a face covering. The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice enforces these rules. Dissent is not tolerated, and protests against government decisions are illegal. Enforcement differs across the country, with local representatives often deciding penalties individually, and women in Kabul and Herat had previously enjoyed somewhat more freedom than women in conservative regions.

June protest and the ICC case

In June, Afghan authorities opened fire on a rare protest in Herat over the arrests and detentions of women for alleged dress code violations. Witnesses and the UN mission said at least one person was killed and several others were wounded.

Earlier this week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for senior Taliban officials, accusing them of committing crimes against humanity by systematically depriving women and girls in Afghanistan of their rights. The warrants name Taliban leader Haibatullah Achundsada, supreme judge Abdul Hakim Hakkani, education minister Habibullah Agha and higher education minister Neda Mohammad Nadim.

The Taliban rejected the ICC decision, calling it a politically motivated violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty.