UNAMA Raises Alarm Over Taliban Arrests Of Afghan Journalists

According to sources, the doctors were arrested over the past four days in clinics located in the Hazrat Ji Baba area of Kandahar after continuing to treat women despite repeated warnings from Taliban morality officers.

Local sources said Taliban officials from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice regularly visit medical centers and clinics across Kandahar city and instruct doctors not to examine or treat women unless accompanied by a male guardian.

According to the sources, the Taliban authorities warned doctors that if a woman arrives at a clinic without a mahram, she must either be turned away or wait until her guardian arrives.

One doctor, speaking anonymously due to security concerns, said: “The morality officers come almost every day asking about women’s examinations, male doctors’ work, and even our beards and clothing. We are under immense pressure and do not know what to do.”

Healthcare workers said the inspections extend beyond female patients and also focus on staff appearance, including beard length and clothing.

Ahmad, a pseudonym used by one healthcare worker, said: “The morality officers tell doctors they must grow beards. If someone’s beard is trimmed or shaved, they are treated harshly, insulted and threatened.”

Some sources also said doctors in several clinics had been verbally warned against wearing what the Taliban describe as Western-style clothing, certain hairstyles and other forms of appearance.

Managers of private clinics and health centers in Kandahar said Taliban morality officers patrol different parts of the city daily and inspect clinics, hospitals and pharmacies.

Several healthcare workers warned that these restrictions could have serious consequences for women’s health because there are very few female specialist doctors in Kandahar.

One doctor in the Hazrat Ji Baba area said: “Many women do not have a male guardian, so where should they go? There are very few female doctors in Kandahar, and most women rely on male doctors. If this is stopped, health problems will increase seriously.”

In recent months, there have been multiple reports of increased Taliban restrictions in Kandahar, including inspections of men’s beards in markets, forcing shopkeepers to close during prayer times, warnings over music, deletion of images and videos from mobile phones and media outlets, and tighter controls in recreational areas.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also confirmed the restrictions. In its latest quarterly report released on Tuesday, May 12, UNAMA said Taliban morality officers in Uruzgan, Paktia and Kandahar had instructed health centers not to treat women without a male guardian.

The report also said Taliban morality officers had detained and mistreated people over clothing, Western-style beard trimming, and listening to or playing music.

UNAMA added that Taliban morality officials had also ordered female healthcare workers to be accompanied by a male guardian while travelling.

In a joint report with Mixed Migration Centre titled “Life in the shadows”, published on Monday, May 5, the agencies examined the protection needs of Afghan children and adolescents in Pakistan.

The report states that Afghan refugees, particularly children and young people, face serious protection risks and are deprived of basic services.

It highlights that the lack of legal documentation and constant fear of arrest and deportation have forced this vulnerable group to live in hiding.

According to the findings, lack of access to education is one of the most significant challenges. Around 77 percent of children surveyed have no access to schooling or vocational training.

The main reasons cited include financial hardship, lack of identity documents and the need to work. Nearly half of the children are also deprived of healthcare services, increasing their vulnerability.

The situation is reported to be far worse for unaccompanied children. Data show that 73% of them are forced to work to cover living costs, compared with 33% among children with guardians.

Unaccompanied girls are particularly affected, with 82% engaged in work. In addition, a significant number of these children live in inadequate housing conditions.

Migration pressures, poverty and fear of deportation have had severe impacts on the mental health of Afghan children. According to the survey, 70% reported feeling depressed and 44% suffer from anxiety.

Risks of detention, physical violence, abuse and forced marriage are among the other serious threats these young refugees face in their daily lives.

The report stresses that Pakistan’s current policies of detention and deportation should be revised, calling on authorities to allow Afghans to register legally and obtain documentation.

The findings are based on a survey of 1,109 respondents, including children, young people, guardians and other adults.

In a statement issued on April 28, the Catalan parliament highlighted the worsening situation in Afghanistan in recent years, including restrictions on the rights of women, girls and ethnic and religious minorities.

The statement emphasised that Hazaras in Afghanistan have endured a long history of “exclusion, repression, discrimination and systematic violence” due to their ethnic and religious identity.

Reviewing historical context, it referred to the “The first phase of massive, systematic, and state-directed violence” against Hazaras in the late 19th century during the rule of Abdur Rahman Khan.

The parliament also pointed to waves of violence against Hazaras in the years after 2001, noting that such attacks have intensified further in recent years.

According to the statement, these acts include suicide bombings, mass killings, assassinations of Hazara leaders, and attacks on educational, religious and healthcare institutions.

It stressed that these actions meet international legal criteria for “genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes”, warning that impunity increases the risk of continued and escalating violence against Hazaras.

The Catalan parliament also emphasised support for the rights of Hazara victims and asylum seekers, including humanitarian protection, asylum policies and resettlement mechanisms.

It called on the European Union and the United Nations to establish or support independent mechanisms for investigating and documenting crimes against Hazaras.

Previously, the Barcelona City Council also adopted a declaration expressing concern over the situation of Hazaras in Afghanistan and urged the international community to take immediate action to protect civilians and prevent further violence.

In the letter, dated May 4, Lotfullah Khpalwak, head of personnel affairs at the Taliban Foreign Ministry, wrote to the ministry’s finance and administrative department that, by order of the Taliban prime minister, the post had been cut from the 1405 Solar Hijri year (March 21, 2026-March 21, 2027) structure.

Since returning to power, the Taliban have gradually removed many institutions related to women from the state structure.

The conversion of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs into the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice is one of the clearest examples of this policy.

At the same time, women have been barred from working in many government offices and non-governmental organisations, while girls have been denied education beyond sixth grade and access to universities. These measures have restricted women’s presence in public life and drawn strong criticism from the international community.

The findings were presented on Thursday, April 30, at the launch of a joint study by the network and the University of Toronto titled Women’s Access to Justice in Afghanistan in Toronto.

At the event, attended by legal experts, civil society activists, academics, diplomats and journalists, organisers said the research aimed to highlight women’s access to justice in Afghanistan and draw international attention to structural barriers.

The report found that Afghanistan’s formal justice system has undergone fundamental changes under Taliban rule.

According to the data, 81% of respondents said the justice system has changed completely or to a large extent, while 91% believed the removal of female legal professionals has had a serious negative impact on judicial outcomes.

Zarqa Yaftali, founder of the network, said formal justice mechanisms under the Taliban have been significantly weakened and replaced by systems that are neither fair nor effective, and which have expanded impunity, particularly in cases of violence against women.

According to the network’s statement, Professor Edward Schatz of the University of Toronto said the university remains committed to highlighting Afghanistan in academic and policy forums and expanding cooperation with Afghan institutions.

Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur, stressed that international accountability and sustained pressure to improve human rights, particularly women’s rights, are essential.

Fawzia Koofi, former Afghan MP, said the absence of fair trials and the rise in arbitrary detentions are contributing to growing insecurity and instability in society.

The meeting concluded with calls for coordinated and sustained international action and support for civil society, particularly women-led organisations.