A number of Afghan women, civil society activists, human rights advocates, and members of the Afghan community residing in Canada held a protest rally outside the Calgary City Hall. The protesters said the gathering was organised in response to the detention of dozens of women and girls in Herat and the suppression of recent protests in the province. Participants, carrying Afghan flags and protest placards, called for serious international attention to the situation of women in Afghanistan. Speakers at the rally stressed that Afghan women have, over the past five years, been deprived of access to education, employment, and participation in public life, describing the situation as “gender apartheid.” They also urged Western parliaments and international organisations to formally place the issue of Afghan women’s rights on their agendas. The rally took place amid reports that the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice had recently detained dozens of women and girls in Herat for allegedly failing to comply with the group’s dress code. The detentions triggered public protests. However, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Taliban forces suppressed the demonstrations by opening fire, resulting in the death of one person and injuries to several others.
