RASC News Agency: Officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice have reportedly detained nine individuals in Kabul on accusations of “moral corruption.” According to a statement issued by the ministry, the arrests took place in the city’s third and fifth security districts, with the individuals being held temporarily pending further investigation. Reports from independent observers and media sources reveal that, over the past month (December), the Taliban’s morality enforcers have detained at least 44 people, including six women, across various provinces under an array of charges deemed violations of their strict interpretation of Islamic law.
The allegations against these detainees include “moral corruption, gambling, sorcery, illicit relationships, and actions contrary to Sharia law.” However, Afghanistani citizens have expressed deep frustration, asserting that the Taliban are using these claims as a pretext to erode individual freedoms and violate the sanctity of personal and private lives. Data highlights that the provinces of Kandahar, Paktia, Khost, Ghazni, Kabul, Parwan, and Nangarhar have recorded the highest number of arrests related to these alleged offenses over the past month.
Since their return to power, the Taliban have systematically dismantled civil liberties, curtailing freedoms under various pretenses, including their so-called moral policing initiatives. These measures have disproportionately targeted perceived cultural and ethnic adversaries. Critics argue that individuals are often accused and arrested under fabricated charges, including alleged affiliations with the National Resistance Front, ties to ISIS, or vague claims of moral misconduct.
The Taliban’s continued use of such tactics has only deepened societal repression in Afghanistan, leaving its citizens in a state of fear and uncertainty, with their fundamental rights increasingly stripped away.
