Dozens of people, mostly girls and women students, have taken to the streets of the city of Herat in Afghanistan in protest against the ban on access to university education imposed by the Taliban authorities.
They chanted «education is our right» and gathered around the provincial governor’s office, a demonstrator told the German agency DPA.
Taliban authorities tried to suppress the rally and used water cannons and beat some participants with sticks and batons, according to the testimony of another participant.
Some videos recorded in the area show a fire truck throwing water, allegedly mixed with chemicals, at the attendees.
The Taliban authorities issued a mid-week ban on university studies for women in the country, a decision that has drawn criticism from much of the international community, including much of the Islamic world.
The Ministry of Higher Education has justified the ban on the grounds that female students, in general, did not respect dress codes, attended classes unaccompanied by male relatives and mixed with male students.
Since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in August last year, women have seen their participation in public life reduced to a minimum, while access to education has also been severely restricted.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
