CIVICUS: Women Face Risk of Taliban Arrest Even During Secret Protests at Home
- Maryam Naiby
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
CIVICUS Monitor says in its latest assessment that women protesters in Afghanistan have moved their protests into homes and other enclosed spaces to reduce the risk of identification, but even these small and secret gatherings expose them to surveillance, arbitrary arrest and violence.
In a report published on Wednesday (26 August) on the state of civic freedoms in Afghanistan after five years of Taliban rule, the organisation said the space for independent civic activity and peaceful protest in Afghanistan is severely restricted. CIVICUS has rated Afghanistan’s civic space as “closed”, with a score of 8 out of 100.
According to the report, women’s protest movements, ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, have continued their activities through statements, slogans, protest songs, symbolic actions and online campaigns. Women’s groups have also called for protests and solidarity actions inside and outside Afghanistan.
CIVICUS says women inside Afghanistan mainly hold their protests in private homes and other enclosed spaces, keeping these actions limited and secret to reduce the risk of identification. According to the organisation, even these forms of protest have not eliminated the risks of surveillance, arbitrary arrest and violence.
The report adds that freedom of peaceful assembly is severely restricted in Afghanistan, while the risk of arbitrary arrest, threats and the use of force has left little space for open protest against Taliban policies. According to CIVICUS, the risks are greater for protests related to women’s rights because restrictions on assembly are combined with Taliban control over women’s movement, clothing and participation in public life.
In one section of the report, CIVICUS refers to the 9 June protest in the Jibril area of Herat, which took place after women and girls were arrested because of their clothing. According to the report, Taliban forces used live ammunition while dispersing protesters. One boy was killed, at least four people were injured and at least 17 protesters were arrested.
The organisation says that in the days following the protest, Taliban intelligence officers randomly checked people’s mobile phones to find messages or images related to the protest. Those found with such content on their phones were arrested and interrogated.
According to the report, the Taliban intensified enforcement of women’s dress regulations in Herat from early June. Citing Human Rights Watch, CIVICUS wrote that by 7 June, at least 30 women had been arrested for allegedly failing to comply with the Taliban’s dress requirements. Further arrests of women were reported in different parts of Herat in early August.
CIVICUS also cited a report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan stating that between April and June 2026, officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice carried out 389 arbitrary arrests and 65 cases of ill-treatment. During the same period, UNAMA also documented continued restrictions on freedom of expression, media closures, intensified enforcement of vice and virtue regulations, and the exclusion of women and girls from education and public life.
The organisation says civil society activists, journalists and Taliban critics also face severe restrictions, arbitrary arrest, threats and violence. According to CIVICUS, the Taliban have expanded restrictions on independent civic activity across government institutions, media organisations, educational centres and public spaces.
The CIVICUS report comes after the Taliban recently published the “Police Law”, which was issued in the group’s official gazette by the Ministry of Justice following approval by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. Article 50 of the law bans all demonstrations across Afghanistan.
However, the CIVICUS report says that despite the risks of surveillance, arrest and violence, women continue to use limited and secret methods to express their opposition.
