KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban has publicly flogged three individuals, including a woman, on multiple charges in a park in central Bamyan province.
In a statement today, the Taliban Supreme Court announced that these individuals were flogged on charges of “adultery,” “theft,” and “illicit relationships” on Wednesday, July 24.
According to the statement, in addition to receiving 30 to 35 lashes each, these individuals were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 6 months to 5 years.
Since their return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban has made corporal punishment a central element of its penal system. Since then, the regime has publicly flogged hundreds of men and women in sports stadiums across the country.
Earlier this month, the Taliban publicly flogged 25 people, including 4 members of the LGBT+ community, on charges the regime labels as “moral crimes” across several provinces in Afghanistan.
Additionally, the Taliban continues to carry out public executions of Afghans convicted of murder. Over the past years, the regime has publicly executed at least five people by gunfire across the country.
Human rights organizations strongly oppose the Taliban’s public extrajudicial punishments, denouncing them as severe violations of human dignity and calling for their immediate cessation.
Last month, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) urged the Taliban authorities to immediately halt all forms of corporal punishment, including public flogging, emphasizing that such actions are a clear violation of international human rights law.
“We are deeply disturbed by the widespread, continued use of corporal punishment in Afghanistan,” OHCHR said. “Corporal punishment is a clear violation of international human rights law,” it added.
“Afghanistan is party to both the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Under international law, all people have the right to be treated with respect for their inherent human dignity and equality.”
The reclusive Taliban Supreme Leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has, however, ignored international criticism and calls to halt the implementation of the Islamic criminal justice system in accordance with his strict interpretation of Islam.
The Taliban leader has recently emphasized the continuation of corporal punishment, including public beatings and stonings of women. He said that while such practices may not align with Western democracies, he would continue to implement them in Afghanistan.
