Pakistan, June 14 -- A few days ago, a small but perhaps more daring group of Afghan males has come out in support of women's rights under Taliban control. Dozens of civilians gathered for a rare demonstration in the western city of Herat following a social media call to "defend the rights of our sisters." The event was sparked by a crackdown by the Taliban's morality police on women who did not wear burqa.

Since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan, public protests in support of women have become extremely rare. Following the event, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, said in a post on X that he was "alarmed by the excessive use of force against seemingly peaceful protesters in Herat."

However,...