UN assistance mission says arrests of women in western Afghanistan over dress rules raise “serious human rights concerns”

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said it has raised concerns after reports of arrests and detentions of women in the western city of Herat over alleged non-adherence to dress regulations. In a statement posted on social media late Sunday, the UN mission said the situation “raises serious human rights concerns,” and it called on Afghanistan’s authorities to respect legal and movement rights for women and men alike.

According to the UN mission, it did not have details on the specific cases at the time of its public comments. The mission said all people, including women, have the right to freedom of movement and are entitled to equality before the law. The statement also came after similar concerns were raised by the UN mission in relation to arrests in Kabul last year.

Afghanistan’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice rejected the reports, describing them as “rumors.” In a statement cited by PBS, the ministry’s information office said “hijab is a divine command” and that it is a law authorities are obliged to implement, describing head coverings and loose clothing as covering the entire body.

A human rights monitor interviewed by PBS, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share details with the media, said monitors had verified at least 16 arrests and detentions in Herat since Friday. The monitor said the arrests included a pregnant woman, and that the detentions were linked by monitors to alleged non-compliance with dress requirements.

The monitor said announcements were issued in Herat’s mosques during Friday prayers on behalf of the vice and virtue ministry, stating that women were not allowed to leave their homes without wearing the hijab. The monitor said the arrests began shortly after those announcements. PBS did not provide further case files or documentation, and the UN mission’s statement did not specify additional numbers beyond its overall concerns.

The UN mission’s comments focused on the broader pattern described in the reports, while Afghanistan’s authorities denied the premise of wrongdoing by those detained. The exchange highlights the tension between UN statements on women’s rights and movement and the de facto authorities’ enforcement of religiously framed regulations.

UN officials said they were reminding the de facto authorities of fundamental legal rights, but no official timeline for investigations or releases was set out in the reporting. As of Monday, the conflicting accounts remained central to the dispute: the UN mission and monitors reported verified detentions, while the vice and virtue ministry said the claims were untrue.

For women in Herat, the immediate impact described in the reporting centered on arrests and detention following Friday announcements, with authorities disputing the factual basis. The UN mission’s next steps in the case were not detailed in the reporting, but its public statement indicates it is continuing to press for clarification and compliance with rights standards.