The news from Afghanistan — or at least the news that can be gleamed and pieced together through the screen of censorship imposed by the Taliban regime — is alarming.
In early June, Taliban authorities detained at least 30 women in the western city of Herat over alleged violations of dress-code rules, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
The arrests triggered rare protests in Injil district, a predominantly Shiite area of Herat, a community already facing insecurity and discrimination at the hands of the extremist Sunni regime.
Taliban forces responded with violence, shooting at protesters, according to UNAMA and human rights groups. At least two people were killed, including a child, and more than 20 others were injured.
The Taliban have rejected reports of the arrests. But the news has sparked anger among women’s rights activists and renewed concern about the regime’s ever-expanding control on women and public spaces.
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Herat protests show resistance
Two female members of the Afghan Women’s Movement Network, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, described the arrests as part of a broader system of repression.
“Every woman arrested in Herat today is a symbol of the suffering of millions of Afghan women who live under the shadow of gender apartheid,” one member told DW. “Women’s freedom is their right. No to the Taliban!”
Another member of the network said the Taliban were criminalizing women’s most basic choices. “The Taliban are arresting women for the crime of choosing how to dress,” she told DW. “This behavior is neither religious nor humane. It is oppression of women and a clear violation of human dignity.”
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The protests in Herat were therefore not only a response to the arrest of women. They also showed that parts of Afghan society are still willing to challenge Taliban authority, despite the risks.
“These protests also showcase the resistance of the Afghan people and Afghan women,” Nigara Mirdad, a former Afghan diplomat and women’s rights activist, told DW. She said they also highlight “the solidarity of Afghan men with the women of the country,” adding that this challenges the narrative the Taliban have imposed through force and tyranny over the past five years.
A symbolic fifth anniversary
While Herat may seem as a local incident, it comes at a politically charged moment.
In August, the Taliban will mark five years since their return to power. Their first stint in power, from 1996 to 2001, also lasted roughly five years before it collapsed after the US-led invasion in response to the September 11 attacks.
Few observers expect a similar collapse now. The Taliban control state institutions, the security apparatus and most public life. Political opposition has been crushed. Independent media has been severely restricted.
But the five-year mark carries historical weight. It reminds the people of Afghanistan that Taliban rule collapsed once before, despite appearing unshakable.
Why the Taliban are tightening control
Mohammad Osman Tariq, a religious scholar and deputy head of the Afghan Ulama Research Council, says the latest measures suggest anxiety inside the Taliban system.
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The Taliban present many of their restrictions on women as a religious matter. Tariq rejects this framing and argues that the clampdown is primarily about preserving power.
“One reason why this current Taliban administration is tightening control and not allowing anyone — even women — to go out and protest, and why they even want to ban smartphones, is because they view all of this as a threat to their rule and existence,” Tariq told DW. “Therefore, they are strictly avoiding it.”
He said the public mood in Afghanistan has changed since the first years of Taliban rule. Some people who initially supported the Taliban, or hoped they had changed during the 20-year insurgency, have now become disillusioned, Tariq said.
“It is natural that the Taliban fear for the continuation of their rule,” he told DW. “They understand that, ultimately, this is a regime of oppression, and it will collapse. Even some of their own members believe that it cannot last.”
Smartphone ban fuels fear in Afghanistan
The crackdown in Herat coincided with another draconian measure: Taliban officials and government employees were ordered to stop using smartphones. Videos circulating online appeared to show Taliban members destroying their phones in compliance with the order.
Many Afghans now fear that the same restrictions could eventually be extended to the entire population.
In a country where independent journalism has been severely weakened and many reporters face intimidation, phones have become political instruments. Smartphones are one of the few remaining tools people can use to document abuses, share videos of protests and send evidence to media and rights groups outside the country.
The new smartphone ban indicates the regime’s desire to control not only what people do, but also what can be seen.
Taliban view Afghan women as easy target
Shinkai Karokhail, a former Afghan member of parliament, diplomat and rights activist, says the Taliban’s repression is also linked to their failure to govern.
“Unfortunately, the Taliban regime has failed to meet the needs of the people, provide public services, or create employment opportunities,” Karokhail told DW. “Consequently, they now fear a public uprising against them.”
“In their view, the people must be intimidated and suppressed in various ways to prevent them from raising their voices,” Karokhail said. “For the Taliban, women are the easiest and a soft target against whom they can use force to silence them.”
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The Herat arrests reflect a broader pattern. Since returning to power, the Taliban have issued dozens of decrees restricting women’s rights. They have barred girls from education beyond sixth grade, banned women from universities, restricted women’s employment, closed many public spaces to women and enforced strict rules on dress and movement.
While the Taliban defend these policies as Islamic and culturally appropriate, Afghan women’s rights activists see them as political tools to erase women from public life and incite fear.
Regime’s grip exposes crisis of legitimacy
Apart from the conflict with Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban face much less pressure from abroad today than when they seized power in 2021.Russia has officially recognized the Taliban authorities as the new Afghan government, while other nations maintain practical engagement despite refusing formal recognition.
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Ex-diplomat Nigara Mirdad says the world’s attention has moved onto other issues and crises.
“It is impossible for them to continue with the policies they have implemented over the past five years,” she told DW, but also noted that the international context has helped the Taliban remain in power longer than many expected.
That leaves Afghans in a difficult position. Inside the country, public anger is dangerous to express. Outside the country, the world is more concerned with security, migration and regional stability.
The events in Herat show both sides of this moment. The Taliban are tightening their grip as the world looks away. But the protests also show that control is not the same as legitimacy.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
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