Taliban’s Mandatory Burqa in Herat Assaults Women’s Autonomy

By Human Rights Watch

Click to expand Image A doctor working with a UN agency examines a woman at a clinic in Herat, Afghanistan, July 5, 2025. © 2025 Elise Blanchard/Getty Images The Taliban in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat have recently banned women doctors, patients, and healthcare workers from entering hospitals without wearing a burqa. On November 10, 2025, authorities prevented Shabnam Fazli, a female surgeon, from entering a major hospital in the provincial capital and detained her for several hours, allegedly for not wearing a burqa.The requirement of a burqa, a full-face and…

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