UN Report: Taliban Imposes Broader Restrictions on Afghan Society, Targeting Women and Cultural Activities
A new report by the UN Secretary-General reveals that the Taliban has imposed a wider range of restrictions on Afghan society in recent months, particularly targeting women and cultural activities. The report highlights increased control over social media, bans on political discussions, and severe curbs on women's rights, including education and employment.
Kokcha News Agency – The latest report by the UN Secretary-General on Afghanistan indicates that the Taliban has intensified its restrictions on Afghan society, particularly targeting women, cultural activities, and freedom of expression. The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has increased its monitoring of social media, arresting users for posting content deemed “contrary to religious values.”
The report also notes that the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture has ordered political analysts to obtain special permission and adhere to “Sharia” guidelines when appearing in the media. New decrees have further restricted the use of smartphones, banned critical political discussions, and censored poetry gatherings and certain religious ceremonies.
The report highlights severe restrictions on Shia religious practices, including the control and detention of participants during Ashura commemorations in Herat and the killing of a prominent Ismaili community figure in Badakhshan.
Additionally, the closure of Afghan Film and the expansion of bans on depicting living beings to other provinces are described as part of the Taliban’s broader crackdown on cultural activities.
A significant portion of these restrictions specifically targets women. Women have been barred from higher education and excluded from university entrance exams. In Herat, wearing the chador has been made mandatory, and in Kabul, at least 60 women and girls have been arrested for “violating hijab” rules. Beauty salons have been shut down, and female healthcare workers in Kandahar are only allowed to travel with a registered male guardian. Women have also lost the right to obtain legal licenses.
In the report’s concluding section, the UN Secretary-General warns that these restrictions have disrupted the social and economic lives of Afghans, eroded public trust, and further isolated the country from the international community.
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