20.08.2024 15:50
The Ministry of Morality of the Taliban has fired more than 280 security personnel who did not grow beards in the past year and detained over 13,000 individuals for 'immoral acts'. The details of the crimes and the gender of those detained were not disclosed. The ministry stated that it had dismissed 281 security personnel without beards for not adhering to Islamic rules. No statistics were provided regarding women's clothing and travel without male companions.
The Ministry of Morality of the Taliban has dismissed more than 280 security personnel in the past year on the grounds that they did not grow beards and has detained more than 13,000 people for "immoral acts". Officials shared this information on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Prevention of Evil and Promotion of Virtue stated in its annual activity report that about half of those detained were released within 24 hours. The ministry did not provide detailed information about the type of alleged crimes or the gender of those detained.
Mohibullah Mokhlis, the Director of Planning and Legislation at the ministry, said during a press conference that 21,328 musical instruments were destroyed last year and thousands of computer operators were prevented from selling "immoral and unethical" movies in markets.
Mokhlis stated that according to their own interpretation of Islamic law, they identified and dismissed 281 security personnel who did not have beards.
The Ministry of Morality, which replaced the women's ministry that was closed after the Taliban took control in 2021, has been criticized by human rights organizations and the United Nations for imposing restrictions on women and hindering freedom of expression.
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan reported cases where officials from the Ministry of Morality detained women for a few hours, claiming that they violated Islamic dress codes and sometimes did not comply with them.
The Taliban describes the detention allegations as "baseless" and says that the rules are applied according to their own interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan traditions.
The ministry did not provide statistics on women's clothing or traveling without male escorts. It is known that officials have also banned travel without male escorts for longer distances. The ministry announced that a new plan is being worked on to ensure compliance with Islamic dress codes, and this plan will be supervised by the highest religious leader in the southern city of Kandahar.
Mokhlis said, "Based on the guidance of the Supreme Leader, a draft plan regarding women's hijab (Islamic dress) has been formulated and approved."
The Ministry of Morality had previously stated that women should cover their faces or wear burqas that cover their entire bodies. It had stated that the implementation would be through "encouragement" and would target male family members instead of directly targeting women.