Afghan men held a rare rally Tuesday in the western city of Herat over new restrictions against women, with police denying witness accounts that protesters were dispersed with live fire.
Dozens of men gathered in response to a crackdown three days earlier by the Taliban government's morality police, who detained women not wearing the body-cloaking chador or burqa.
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A 33-year-old protester said the security forces "used sticks, whips and firearms to disperse the crowd. They even fired shots into the air".
Along with other residents, he spoke on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns.
The city's police force denied that any weapons were used, accusing demonstrators of seeking "to disturb public order".
Protests are incredibly unusual in Afghanistan, where the Taliban authorities have ruled according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law since August 2021.
The protester said he saw people wounded, but his account could not be independently verified.
"People are extremely frightened," he said.
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A photographer at the rally said he saw the security forces "striking protesters and firing weapons in the direction of the crowd".
"Based on what I personally witnessed, a significant number of people were injured," the photographer said in a statement.
Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said in a post on X he was "alarmed by (the) excessive use of force against seemingly peaceful protesters in Herat".
People gathered at the site after a social media announcement calling for residents to "defend the rights of our sisters".
Saeed Masoud Hussaini, spokesman for Herat police, said people "attempted to gather and create tensions under the pretext of protesting issues related to the observance of the hijab" dress code.
"Thanks to the timely presence of security forces, the situation was brought fully under control, and further escalation of tensions was prevented," he said.
Across Afghanistan, women must be almost entirely covered when they leave home, with many wearing a flowing abaya robe, a Muslim headscarf and a face covering.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
