KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) says that a female doctor working with the organization in Herat was detained by Taliban “promotion of virtue and prevention of vice” officials over the way she was dressed and was released after two days in custody.
In a statement published by the organization on Friday (June 12), it is stated that the Taliban obtained a written commitment from this female doctor that she would in the future comply with the dress code enforced by the group’s morality police.
According to Médecins Sans Frontières, the doctor was detained on Saturday last week (June 6) while she was on her way to the Herat regional hospital, together with her husband.
Doctors Without Borders said it is angered by the detention of its staff member. It is reported that this female doctor works in the pediatric department of Herat hospital.
The organization said that the detention of its employee is not an isolated case, but rather that women in Afghanistan currently face extremely severe restrictions on movement and access to public life, which has direct consequences on access to healthcare and the provision of medical services across the country.
The Taliban have detained several women and girls in Herat over the past week for not complying with the dress code accepted by the group. These arrests have triggered widespread negative reactions.
The latest detention followed an initial demonstration on June 9 in Herat’s predominantly Hazara-populated Jibrail Neighbourhood, which erupted after days of mounting public anger over the detention of women. During that protest, Taliban forces reportedly opened fire directly on the crowd and beat demonstrators, killing at least one child and injuring around 20 others, according to local sources and videos.
Following the first protest, the Taliban deployed hundreds of armed fighters equipped with light weapons, rockets, and tanks across Herat and set up multiple checkpoints on major routes. Similar security measures were implemented in Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi, a Hazara-populated neighbourhood in western Kabul, where large numbers of troops and military vehicles were positioned to head off potential unrest. No protests were reported in Kabul as of Friday evening.
The Taliban’s use of force against peaceful demonstrators and the detention of women and girls have also drawn strong international condemnation. The United Nations, human rights organizations, politicians, and citizens worldwide have called on the group to stop the violence against peaceful protesters and immediately release all detained women and girls.
Doctors Without Borders said that further restrictions on women, such as compulsory burqa and the requirement of a male guardian (mahram) when leaving the house, further weaken access to essential medical services and hinder the ability of female healthcare workers to provide care.
For the past five years, the Taliban have banned education and work for women and girls. The healthcare sector in Afghanistan is currently facing a severe shortage of female doctors. Meanwhile, in some provinces, the Taliban have banned the treatment of female patients by male doctors. In some areas, women without a male guardian are also denied access to medical services.
Overall, these developments highlight growing concerns among international humanitarian organizations about the deteriorating situation of women’s rights and healthcare access in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Medical groups warn that such restrictions not only affect individual freedoms but also risk undermining the entire healthcare system, particularly in maternal and child health services.
