KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – In Afghanistan’s eastern Khost province, Taliban authorities publicly flogged nine individuals on charges of theft, adultery, sodomy, forgery, and alcohol sales.
In a newsletter on Thursday, August 1, the Taliban Supreme Court announced that these individuals were flogged today in the presence of senior local authorities and dozens of people.
According to the Taliban statement, these individuals received 34 to 39 lashes each and were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 6 months to 3 years.
Shortly after returning to power, the Taliban, despite initial promises of a more moderate rule, began enforcing severe public punishments. These included executions, floggings, and stoning, similar to those during their previous rule of Afghanistan in the late 1990s.
Since then, hundreds of people across Afghanistan, including women and members of the LGBT+ community, have been publicly flogged or had body parts amputated for crimes such as adultery, sodomy, and theft.
The regime has also publicly executed at least five individuals convicted of murder across the country.
In its quarterly report released on Tuesday, July 30, the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented at least 179 cases of corporal punishment in the past three months, including the flogging of 28 women and 4 boys.
“For example, on 4 June in Sar-e-Pul city, 63 people were publicly flogged by the de facto authorities,15 (48 men and 15 women) having been convicted of a range of crimes, including armed robbery, adultery, running away from home and pederasty,” UNAMA said.
The UN and international human rights organizations have condemned the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment and public executions, highlighting that these practices are prohibited under international human rights law and calling for their immediate cessation.
Human rights organizations also say that the Taliban courts do not adhere to fair trial procedures and standard legal practices, with accused individuals denied the right to legal representation for their defense in these courts.
The Taliban, however, has ignored international criticism and calls to end corporal punishment. Its leader has emphasized the continuation of these practices, saying that he is enforcing Sharia law in Afghanistan.
