In Herat, Afghanistan’s third-largest city, the Taliban’s morality police are enforcing a new directive with detentions and physical violence against women accused of not following a “proper hijab.” Members of the enforcement teams have arrested women in public spaces and taken them for questioning, with witnesses describing intimidation that has left many women afraid to go out.

The directive prohibits women from appearing in public without what the Taliban describes as a proper hijab. It is aimed at women who show their faces or wear makeup, and it requires additional face-covering beyond what many residents say women were already wearing. A woman interviewed by RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi said that even if women had been observing hijab practices before, the Taliban’s new demand extends to covering the face as well.

UN reporting cited in the article says the arrests intensified soon after the directive was issued, with at least 30 women detained during the first week. The enforcement also sparked rare public protests in Herat on June 9. Those demonstrations were dispersed violently by Taliban forces, with the UN stating at least two people were killed and more than 20 were wounded.

Beyond the immediate arrests and attacks, the article describes a broader atmosphere of fear: Taliban patrols and inspections can occur in the streets, markets, and at entrances to public buildings, where women are stopped, questioned, and inspected for compliance. Even when women appear to be fully covered, they may still be detained or investigated for perceived violations.

The report frames these actions as part of the Taliban’s wider effort to restrict women’s presence in public life and impose its strict interpretation of religious and behavioral rules, with enforcement varying by locality but producing severe consequences for women in areas where directives are applied most aggressively.