The Heavy Price of Seeking Justice in Jebrail, Herat
“The injured child has died” — this is the message from a resident of Jebrail, Herat Province, who participated in today’s protest against what is being described as “ethnic oppression.”
The protest began in this predominantly Hazara-populated area of Herat after a number of Taliban morality police officers reportedly arrested around sixty girls and women from the township yesterday.
Asadullah (pseudonym), a shopkeeper living in the Fourteenth-Meter area of the township, told Etilaat Roz: “It is not clear for what reason they are arresting women and girls who are even wearing hijab.”
Wahid (pseudonym) also said: “I was in my shop in the busy clothing market alley of Jebrail Bazaar. Five armed men with long beards, wearing sandals, black clothes, and white outer garments were searching all the shops for women and girls. Out of fear, I closed my shop. The entire town is in a terrifying state.”
Sources in Herat say that the number of individuals brought in to suppress the protesters is reportedly greater than the number of people who took to the streets chanting “Work, Education, and Freedom.”
Meanwhile, the Taliban police spokesperson for Herat Province confirmed the protests and told the media that “the situation is under control, and these individuals have engaged in rioting to disrupt public order, and a number of them have been arrested.”
Sources, however, claim that the Taliban opened direct fire on the protesters, resulting in the deaths of two people, including a child, and the injury of nearly 25 others during the demonstrations.
A source speaking to Etilaat Roz said: “I work at the Herat Regional Hospital. This morning, three armed men came to the hospital to arrest individuals who had been injured in the protest. They detained two patients and transferred them to an unknown location.”
The source added: “These individuals also intended to arrest a patient who has been hospitalized for a week due to a traffic accident, but because of the protests and objections of the patient’s companions, they have not yet detained him.
