San Francisco Frontiers - Afghans scrap protest plans as Herat city under tight security

An AFP journalist saw military vehicles stationed around the city and patrolling the area where a demonstration had been called for Friday afternoon.

"People gave up on the demonstration today to prevent more bloodshed," said a 34-year-old teacher, who along with other residents AFP is not naming for safety reasons.

The deployment followed a crackdown launched by the morality police on Saturday, during which dozens of women were arrested for not wearing the body-cloaking chador or burqa.

At least two people were killed and more than 20 wounded in a protest held by residents days later, a group of UN experts said. Police have denied that any weapons were used during the demonstration.

On Friday, the AFP journalist also saw armed police officers patrolling on motorcycles and additional checkpoints where intelligence agents were present.

"Even the movement of a small number of people from one area became difficult due to these security measures," said the teacher. "The atmosphere is very bad."

Herat police did not comment on the increased security when asked by AFP.

A 27-year-old resident said "there were a lot of armed forces roaming around. It was horrible."

"On every street there is a suspicious private car with (people wearing) casual clothing, sitting in their cars and observing people," he said.

- Women detained over clothes -

Taliban authorities rule according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law, and have gradually tightened restrictions on women since returning to power in August 2021.

Across Afghanistan, women must be almost entirely covered when they leave home, with many wearing a flowing abaya robe, a Muslim headscarf and a face covering.

The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented the arrest of at least 30 women in Herat over the dress code on Saturday and Sunday.

They included a hospital worker employed by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), who the organisation said was held for two days.

Before her release, the medic, her husband and relatives had to sign a written commitment to wear clothing mandated by the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice authorities.

MSF said it was "outraged" by its employee's detention.

Calls for a demonstration against the crackdown circulated on social media, with residents reporting a significant deployment of security forces since Thursday.

A 33-year-old woman told AFP the security forces were checking people's phones.

"Due to high security, people weren't able to mobilise: there is no protest," she said.

Demonstrations are incredibly rare in Afghanistan, with a Herat rally held by dozens of men on Tuesday dispersed by live fire, two witnesses told AFP.

Police denied using weapons and accused those protesters of seeking "to disturb public order".

Herat's Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice wing published a list of rules for women on Wednesday, which included a ban on wearing make-up or having any hair visible, and an order to wear socks and face masks.

Failure to comply may result in "detention and imprisonment", the notice said.

Across the country, women are banned from a host of public places, including parks and gyms, while girls' education stops at age 12.

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U.Lee--SFF