GENEVA (11 June 2026) – UN experts*
today expressed deep concern about reports of excessive use
of force against demonstrators protesting restrictive
measures after dozens of women were detained for alleged
dress code violations in Herat, Afghanistan, on 6 and 7 June
2026.
“Use of force in law enforcement is strictly
restricted under international law,” the experts said.
“It is permitted only when it is legal, necessary and
proportionate to the threat posed to officers or to others,
and when it respects principles of precaution,
non-discrimination and accountability.”
“As the de
facto authority in Afghanistan, the Taliban must comply with
the international human rights treaties to which Afghanistan
is a party, including the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights, the Convention against Torture and the
Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women.”
On 9 June 2026, people gathered in
Herat to protest increasingly repressive restrictions and
the detention of dozens of women for allegedly violating an
order to restrict women’s attire, including requirements
to wear a burka or chador with a face mask and a ban on
perfume. De facto authority officials allegedly opened fire
on protesters – men, women and children – and beat them.
At least two people, including a boy, were killed and more
than twenty were injured. The experts noted reports of
stone-throwing by some protesters, but stated that such
actions would not, in themselves, meet the strict threshold
for the use of lethal force.
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“Allegations that women
were detained for dress code violations are deeply
concerning and may constitute arbitrary and unlawful
detention, as it appears to penalise the exercise of their
right to freedom of expression and right to be free from
gender discrimination,” they said.
The experts urged
the Taliban to conduct an investigation promptly,
effectively, independently, impartially and transparently
into the use of forces by officials. Such investigations
must be capable of establishing whether the use of lethal
force was strictly necessary and proportionate to protect
life, securing forensic evidence from the outset and
ensuring accountability for those responsible and their
chain of command.
“Equality, peaceful assembly,
freedom of expression and movement, and protection from
arbitrary detention are fundamental rights essential to
restoring public confidence and preventing further
deterioration of the situation,” they said.
They
stressed that the exercise of law enforcement powers must
remain strictly consistent with the principles of legality,
necessity, proportionality and non-discrimination, and fully
aligned with Afghanistan’s obligations under international
human rights law.
The experts urged de-escalation and
warned that tensions must be reduced immediately to prevent
further violence or harm.
They called on the Taliban
to immediately release detainees, including women arrested
for dress code violations and protesters, strictly avoid
ill-treatment, refrain from any actions or rhetoric that
prevent people with injuries from accessing medical care and
stop searching people’s houses.
*The
experts:
- Richard Bennett, Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in
Afghanistan - Reem Alsalem, Special
Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes
and consequences - Claudia Flores
(Chair), Ivana Krstić (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck,
Haina Lu, and Laura Nyirinkindi, Working
Group on discrimination against women and
girls - Morris Tidball-Binz,
Special
Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary
executions - Alice Jill Edwards,
the Special
Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment - Gina
Romero, Special
Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of
association
