A City in the Grip of Fighters: Every Step of Citizens Shadowed by Taliban Threats and Humiliation

Following the Taliban’s strict laws and heavy surveillance over the personal lives of citizens, many Kabul residents complain of violations of their individual and social freedoms. According to them, having a different hairstyle or appearance, and even carrying a mobile phone with photos or call records, can become grounds for arrest, insult, humiliation, and even death threats by the Taliban. Fear of arbitrary detentions, increasing killings, and targeting of former soldiers has left many people feeling unsafe, forcing them to withdraw from public life and daily activities.

Several women in Kabul say that even when they fully observe hijab and wear face masks, they are still insulted and humiliated by Taliban members. This situation has severely diminished their sense of safety and freedom.

Aida, a young woman who went shopping with her mother in Shahr-e-Naw, said: “The other day, one of the female Taliban workers called out to me and said: ‘Go away like a human being!’ while at the same time insulting us with offensive words.”

The young woman added: “When I tried to defend myself and asked why she was insulting me when my hijab and dress were completely proper, she told me to ‘shut up!’ That woman then argued with me, used very harsh words, and threatened me that if I raised my voice or continued, she would violently arrest me.”

Aida explained that such behavior has turned even daily activities like shopping into experiences filled with fear and anxiety, stripping away their sense of peace and security. She said: “The Taliban’s strict rules now affect every aspect of our lives. We cannot travel without a male guardian, access to parks and beauty salons has been restricted. Arbitrary arrests and the Taliban’s insults and humiliations have become so serious that families are now cautious even about the movements of their own members, and out of fear we cannot easily leave home.”

Shohreh Shams (a pseudonym), a young journalist, shared her own experience in the Lycee Maryam market: “The other day, when I went shopping, I saw several armed men in Taliban military uniforms stop a young man who was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and had tattoo designs on his arms. They slapped his arms and said: ‘What is this? Why did you get tattoos?’ The young man was terrified and couldn’t speak. When I got closer, the man accompanying him told the Taliban fighters: ‘Brother, he just recently came to Afghanistan, please be considerate.’”

The journalist added that these men were not the Taliban’s religious police from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, but rather armed fighters in military uniform. Their behavior was not only violent and humiliating but also spread fear and anxiety among people in the market.

Sadria Naseri (a pseudonym), a young woman whose daily life is heavily affected by the fear of possible arrests, said: “Leaving home has now become a major challenge for me, and even when I absolutely need to, I step out with great fear and trembling.”

Naseri continued: “The other day, when I went out to buy a book, I was harshly confronted and threatened by Taliban officials from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue. When they shouted at me to ‘pull your scarf further forward!’ I was so frightened that for a moment I felt even the smallest movement could put me in danger.”

Over the past four years, despite repeated appeals by human rights organizations to respect citizens’ rights and preserve their dignity and safety, the Taliban have continued widespread violations and severe repression. They have not only deprived women and girls of education, employment, and work, but have also banned them from social life, subjecting them to harassment and humiliation in cities and markets. At the same time, men—especially young men—have repeatedly been arrested, insulted, and humiliated by Taliban fighters in different parts of the country because of their clothing, hairstyle, or beards.

Meanwhile, the Taliban’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue has once again issued a written order requiring students and teachers at universities to grow beards and wear hats, warning that disobedience will lead to punishment or expulsion.

Previously, the Taliban had also arrested several young men and barbers for trimming beards or cutting hair, and even shut down some barbershops.