Several women in Herat say that, by opening direct fire on protesters, the Taliban have once again revealed their hostility and opposition to “freedom of expression and the defense of women’s rights.”
Sources, speaking with the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Tuesday, June 9, say that the Taliban have repeatedly claimed to protect women in accordance with Sharia law. However, according to them, no law or religious ruling states that women can be arrested because of their dress.
According to these women, the Taliban’s treatment of protesters and their use of gunfire shows that the group has no tolerance for any form of peaceful protest or civil activism.
The sources say that today’s protests once again proved that raising one’s voice in defense of civic rights in Afghanistan leads only to risks to people’s lives and harm to innocent individuals.
They also say that although the Taliban recently issued a directive explicitly stating the arrest of women for not wearing what the group considers appropriate hijab, they have in the past two days issued statements denying such arrests.
These remarks come amid recent reports of the arrest of women and girls in Herat, which have sparked widespread domestic and international reactions.
In response to these arrests, several residents of Herat’s Jebrail area held a protest today, which was met with gunfire by Taliban fighters, leaving several people injured.
