In 2015, a 19-year-old woman named Rukshana was stoned to death in Ghor province after resisting a forced marriage... This brutal execution, captured on video, serves as a harrowing precursor to the current systemic restrictions imposed on women across Afghanistan by the Taliban.
The 5 million Afghani ransom that failed to save Rukshana
The killing of Rukshana was the culmination of years of coercion that began when her parents arranged a marriage for her at age 13. According to the source report, Rukshana eventually rejected this union and fled with her childhood sweetheart, Mohammad Gul. Despite attempting to find refuge in the Saghar district, she was captured by a local Taliban commander who had previously attempted to arrange for Rukshana to marry his own brother.
The brutality of the case was compounded by a financial demand; the Taliban reportedly sought 5 million Afghanis from Rukshana's father to secure her release . When the family proved unable to pay the sum, a cleric issued an order for her execution by stoning. Video footage of the event, which showed Rukshana trapped in a hole while a crowd threw stones, was obtained and circulated by Radio Free Afghanistan, sparking global condemnation.
From Farkhunda's death to the current ban on universities
Rukshana's death was not an isolatted act of violence but part of a broader pattern of gender-based persecution. In the same year, a woman named Farkhunda was beaten and burned to death by a mob in Kabul following a false accusation of desecrating the Koran.. These events illustrate a long-standing environment where accusations of violating religious or social norms could lead to immediate, lethal violence with no legal protection for the accused.
Since the Taliban returned to power, this sporadic mob vilence has been replaced by a formalized state system of erasure. Afghan women and girls are now systematically excluded from universities and secondary education, and they have been pushed out of most workplaces. The restrictions extend to the most basic elements of daily life, including bans on visiting beauty salons, gyms, and public parks, effectively removing women from the public sphere.
Nine detentions in Herat despite the use of hijabs
The current enforcement of morality laws has reached a level of unpredictability that keeps women in a state of constant fear. In Herat, Amu TV reported that at least nine women were detained by morality officials even though they were wearing hijabs. this suggests that the mere presence of a head covering is no longer a guarantee of safety from state harassment.
Similar patterns of arbitrary enforcement have been reported in Kabul, where residents describe increased street patrols. In one specific instance, four women were detained near the Marble Market; despite wearing hijabs, they were reportedly arrested because their long coats did not meet the specific, unnamed standards of the Taliban morality authorities. As the report notes, these actions have made many women reluctant to leave their homes for fear of psychological abuse or humiliation.
Who defines the clothing standards for Kabul's morality patrols?
Despite the widespread reports of arrests, there remains a critical lack of transparency regarding the specific criteria used by the Taliban to determine "acceptable" attire. While the source mentions that women must conceal their faces so only the eyes are visible, the arrests near the Marble Market suggest that the interpretation of these rules is left to the whim of individual patrol officers.
Furthermore, the reporting relies heavily on anonymous witnesses and resident accounts, as the Taliban morality authorities do not provide public justifications for their detentions. It remains unknown how many women are currently held in detention centers for clothing violations and what legal recourse, if any, exists for those accused of violating these fluid morality codes.
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