The Taliban has arrested five women that took part in a protest in the Afghan capital of Kabul against the ban on women attending universities. The Taliban also arrested three journalists. The protests also occurred in the Takhar province in addition to Kabul.
Hundreds of women were stopped from entering universities on Wednesday, a day after the ban was announced. Girls had already been excluded from secondary schools and this is the latest policy restricting women’s education since the Taliban returned to power last year. The ban was implemented on Tuesday with immediate effect by the higher education minister. Two dozen Afghan women dressed in hijabs protested on Thursday, marching through the streets of Kabul. The protest was originally planned to occur in front of Kabul University, but authorities deployed a large number of security personnel to the area. Two of the women who were arrested were released, but several remain in custody. Some men have also responded to the ban with acts of civil disobedience, approximately 50 male university professors at public and private institutions have resigned their positions and some male students have refused to sit their exams.
Read More: Taliban arrest women protesting against university ban