UNAMA Reports Hundreds of Arbitrary Arrests and Cases of Ill-Treatment by Taliban Morality Police
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has documented at least 443 cases of arbitrary arrest and 97 cases of ill-treatment of Afghan women and men by Taliban morality police over three months, raising concerns about restrictions on people’s daily lives.
In a new human rights report released on Thursday, 15 October, UNAMA said some arrests were linked to alleged violations of Taliban directives concerning women’s hijab and men’s beards and hairstyles, including styles described as Western.
According to the report, listening to music and failing to attend congregational prayers were also among the reasons cited for detentions or other actions by Taliban morality police.
UNAMA referred to Article 24 of the Taliban’s Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which provides for detention of up to three days for people accused of committing prohibited acts. However, the mission documented cases in which individuals were detained for longer than this period.
In one documented incident, Taliban morality police arrested two barbers on 17 August at Aliabad market in Yusuf Khel district of Paktika province. They were accused of trimming men’s beards and giving them hairstyles described as Western. According to UNAMA, the two men were held in detention for one month.
In another incident on 21 August, Taliban morality police closed approximately 100 shops in Hisar Shahi market in Rodat district of Nangarhar province because the shopkeepers had not attended congregational prayers.
UNAMA’s findings highlight the impact of the Taliban’s enforcement of its morality laws on individual freedoms and the daily activities of people across Afghanistan.
