The news from Afghanistan – or at least the news that can be gleaned and pieced together through the screen of censorship imposed by the Taliban regime – is worrying.
In early June, Taliban officials detained at least 30 women in the western city of Herat over alleged violations of dress-code rules, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
The arrests sparked rare protests in Herat’s Shia-dominated Injil district, a community that already faces insecurity and discrimination at the hands of the extremist Sunni regime.
According to UNAMA and human rights groups, Taliban forces responded with violence, firing on protesters. At least two people, including a child, were killed and more than 20 others were injured.
The Taliban has rejected reports of the arrest. But the news has sparked anger among women’s rights activists and reignited concerns about the regime’s ever-increasing control over women and public spaces.
Herat protests show resistance
Two female members of the Afghan Women’s Movement Network, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, described the arrests as part of a broader system of repression.
“Each woman arrested today in Herat symbolizes the suffering of millions of Afghan women who live under the shadow of gender apartheid,” one member told DW. “Women’s freedom is their right. Not the Taliban’s!”
Another member of the network said the Taliban were criminalizing women’s most basic choices. “The Taliban are arresting women for the crime of choosing their clothes,” he told DW. “This behavior is neither religious nor humane. It is oppression of women and a clear violation of human dignity.”
The protests in Herat were therefore not simply a reaction to the arrests of women. They also showed that despite the risks, parts of Afghan society are still willing to challenge Taliban rule.
“These protests also reflect the resistance of the Afghan people and Afghan women,” Nigara Mirdad, a former Afghan diplomat and women’s rights activist, told DW. They also highlight “the solidarity of Afghan men with the women of the country,” he said, adding that it challenges the narrative imposed by the Taliban through force and torture over the past five years.
A symbolic fifth anniversary
While Herat may appear to be a local phenomenon, it comes at a politically charged moment.
In August, it will be five years since the Taliban returned to power. His first term in power, from 1996 to 2001, lasted about five years, with power collapsing after the US-led invasion in response to the September 11 attacks.
Some observers now expect a similar collapse. The Taliban control state institutions, the security apparatus, and much of public life. Political opposition has been crushed. Independent media is strictly banned.
But the five-year mark holds historical significance. It reminds the people of Afghanistan that the Taliban regime had collapsed once before, despite appearing unstable.
Why is Taliban tightening control?
Mohammad Osman Tariq, a religious scholar and deputy head of the Afghan Ulema Research Council, says the latest measures indicate concern inside the Taliban system.
The Taliban presents many of its restrictions on women as a religious matter. Tariq rejects this framing and argues that repression is primarily about the preservation of power.
“One of the reasons why this current Taliban administration is tightening control and not allowing anyone — even women — to go out and protest, and why they want to ban smartphones as well, is because they see it as a threat to their rule and survival,” Tariq told DW. “So, they are strictly avoiding it.”
He said the public mood in Afghanistan has changed since the first years of Taliban rule. Some people who initially supported the Taliban, or hoped they would change during the 20-year insurgency, are now disillusioned, Tariq said.
“It’s natural that the Taliban fear the continuation of their rule,” he told DW. “They understand that, ultimately, this is a regime of oppression, and it will collapse. Even some of their own members believe it cannot last.”
Ban on smartphones creates an atmosphere of fear in Afghanistan
The crackdown in Herat was accompanied by another drastic measure: Taliban officials and government employees were ordered to stop using smartphones. Videos circulating online showed Taliban members destroying their phones in compliance with the order.
Many Afghans now fear that similar restrictions could eventually be imposed on the entire population.
In a country where independent journalism has been severely weakened and many journalists face threats, phones have become political tools. Smartphones are one of the few remaining devices that people can use to document abuses, share videos of protests and send evidence to media and rights groups outside the country.
The new smartphone ban indicates the regime’s desire to control not only what people do, but also what can be seen.
Taliban sees Afghan women as easy targets
Shinkai Karokhail, a former Afghan parliament member, diplomat and rights activist, says the Taliban’s repression is also linked to their failure to govern.
“Unfortunately, the Taliban regime has failed to meet people’s needs, provide public services or create employment opportunities,” Karokhail told DW. “As a result, they now fear a public revolt against them.”
“In his view, people should be intimidated and suppressed in various ways to prevent them from raising their voices,” Karokhaile said. “For the Taliban, women are the easiest and most convenient targets against whom they can use force to silence them.”
The Herat arrests reflect a broader pattern. Since returning to power, the Taliban have issued dozens of decrees restricting women’s rights. They have banned girls from education beyond the sixth grade, banned women from universities, restricted women’s employment, closed many public spaces to women, and imposed strict rules on dress and movement.
While the Taliban defends these policies as Islamic and culturally appropriate, Afghan women’s rights activists see them as a political tool to erase women from public life and instill fear.
Regime’s grip exposes legitimacy crisis
Apart from the conflict with Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban faces much less pressure from abroad today than when they seized power in 2021. Russia has officially recognized Taliban officials as the new Afghan government, while other nations maintain practical engagement despite refusing formal recognition.
Former diplomat Nigara Mirdad says the world’s attention has shifted to other issues and crises.
“It is impossible for him to continue the policies he has implemented over the past five years,” he told DW. But it also said the international context has helped the Taliban remain in power longer than many expected.
This has left the Afghans in a difficult situation. It is dangerous to express public anger within the country. The world outside the country is more concerned about security, migration and regional stability.
The events in Herat reflect both sides of this moment. As the world is moving away, the Taliban is strengthening its hold. But opposition also shows that control does not equate to legitimacy.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic