KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have condemned the Taliban’s use of live fire against protesters in western Herat province, calling on the group to immediately end the use of “unlawful force” against peaceful protesters.
The statements from the two international rights organizations came hours after Taliban fighters opened fire on protesters in Herat’s Jibrail township, where residents had gathered to denounce the arrest and detention of dozens of women and girls by the group’s morality police for allegedly violating its strict dress code.
“The Taliban’s reported use of live fire against protesters is a shocking escalation of their ongoing assault on the rights to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and women’s rights in Afghanistan,” Amnesty International said in a statement posted on X. “Those protesting peacefully should never be met with bullets and violence.”
The organization called on the Taliban to immediately end the use of unlawful force against peaceful protesters, release those arbitrarily detained, and respect the rights of women and girls to freedom of movement, expression and peaceful assembly.
Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a post on X: “The Taliban must immediately refrain from any use of excessive force against protesters, release those arbitrarily detained for peaceful protest, and allow peaceful protests without resorting to violence or intimidation.”
Local sources confirmed that at least four people, including a child, were injured and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Some accounts also reported that a woman and a child were killed by Taliban gunfire, although KabulNow could not independently verify these reports.
Videos circulating on social media showed Taliban fighters firing directly at the crowd during the protest, which erupted after days of growing anger over the detention of women and girls in Herat.
The Taliban’s detention of women and girls has drawn widespread international criticism. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett, Amnesty International, and other rights organizations have called for an immediate end to the crackdown.
The issue was also raised at a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on Monday, where Georgette Gagnon, acting head of UNAMA, cited reports that around 30 women had been detained in Herat by Taliban morality police and other officials.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls, including bans on secondary and university education, limits on employment, and strict rules governing dress and movement. Human rights organizations and UN officials have repeatedly criticized the measures as systematic discrimination against women and girls.
