Taliban arrest women for ‘bad hijab’ in the first dress code crackdown since their return to power

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban spokesman says authorities have arrested women in the Afghan capital Kabul for wearing “bad hijab.” It’s the first official confirmation of a crackdown on women who don’t follow the dress code imposed by the Taliban since they returned to power in 2021. Thursday’s development is the latest blow to Afghan women and girls, who are already reeling from restrictions on education, employment and access to public spaces. The spokesman from the Vice and Virtue Ministry didn’t say how many women have been arrested or what constitutes bad hijab. The dress code issued in May 2022 calls for women to only show their eyes.