Taliban morality enforcers (Religious police) disrupted a graduation ceremony for medical students in Herat on 16 January, entering the venue while armed and halting the program. During the incident, more than 50 graduates were forced to remove their neckties in front of hundreds of attendees.
A video from the event shows armed Taliban members, including one carrying a Kalashnikov, going onto the stage and interrupting the host as he spoke about Afghanistan’s future and the role of educated youth. Following the intervention, the host asked the graduates to leave the stage.
The Taliban have previously claimed that neckties are anti-Islamic, arguing that they are a symbol of Western culture and resemble the Christian cross, making them unacceptable under their interpretation of Islamic dress codes.
The incident has sparked widespread criticism from citizens and social media users, many of whom described the act as humiliating and a clear violation of personal freedoms and civil rights.