KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban authorities in northern Faryab province publicly flogged a woman on charges of “immoral relations” and “running away from home.”
The ruling, executed on Sunday, September 29, was carried out based on a decision from the criminal division of Taliban’s provincial court in Faryab. The woman received 30 lashes and was also sentenced to six months of enforced imprisonment.
This is the latest instance of corporal punishment in Afghanistan. Since their return to power, the Taliban has made it a central element of its penal system, administering lashings to hundreds of people, including women and members of the LGBTQ+ community, often in sports stadiums in front of large audiences.
In June, the regime publicly flogged 63 people, including 15 women, on various charges such as adultery, robbery, and running away from home, in a stadium in northern Sar-e-Pol province.
The UN, rights groups and activists 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.
The Taliban, however, has so far disregarded international criticism and calls to end corporal punishment. Recently, its leader has emphasized the continuation of these practices, saying that he is enforcing Sharia law in Afghanistan.
