Enforcers from the de facto Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Amr bil Maruf) have instituted aggressive searches and confiscated smartphones across Herat University, enforcing strict digital prohibitions on students both inside academic facilities and residential dormitories.
In a joint letter addressed to media outlets, male students residing in the university dormitories detailed systematic, daily inspections conducted by morality police. According to students, enforcers conduct forced room searches and immediately smash any confiscated smartphones on the spot, threatening students caught with touchscreen devices with immediate expulsion and disciplinary referral. The sweeps have been accompanied by the suspension of campus Wi-Fi networks and heightened physical security checks at university entry points.
Students expressed deep frustration over the sweeping technological ban, highlighting the stark contrast between global academic standards and the de facto administration’s restrictions. “In universities around the world, students implement projects utilizing artificial intelligence, but in Afghanistan, they have banned smartphones for us,” the students stated, arguing that the regime is forcibly dragging the country’s education system into ideological isolation.
The crackdown at Herat University reflects a broader nationwide campaign by de facto authorities to suppress digital communication, restrict access to uncensored information, and prevent the recording or transmission of civil protests and localized enforcement actions. Students and academic faculty continue to demand an immediate review of the directive, warning that stripping internet-enabled devices from higher education institutions cripples research capabilities and further degrades Afghanistan’s remaining academic infrastructure.