KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local Taliban authorities in Herat province, western Afghanistan, publicly flogged three men on drug-related charges on Saturday, September 21.
The Taliban Supreme Court announced the flogging of these individuals in a statement today, stating they were lashed based on a ruling from the regime’s primary court in the province.
According to the Taliban’s statement, each individual received 39 lashes and a two-year prison sentence.
This marks the latest instance of public flogging carried out by the Taliban across Afghanistan. Since their return to power, despite initial promises of a more moderate rule, the Taliban has made corporal punishment a central component of its penal system.
Over the past three years, the Taliban has publicly flogged hundreds of people, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals, on various charges across Afghanistan.
Earlier in June, the Taliban publicly flogged at least 63 individuals, including 15 women, in a sports stadium in Afghanistan’s northern Sar-e-Pol province for various alleged offenses, such as “running away from home” and “moral crimes.”
Furthermore, the Taliban continues to carry out public executions of Afghans on various charges. The regime has publicly executed at least five people in the country over the past years.
The Taliban’s practice of physically and publicly punishing individuals has drawn significant criticism from the UN and global human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW)
The UN says that Afghanistan is a party to both conventions that grant individuals the right to be treated with respect for their inherent human dignity and equality, noting that the Taliban’s cruel and inhumane treatment of Afghans violates these conventions and other international laws.
The Taliban has, however, rejected criticism of their policies, asserting that their criminal justice system is grounded in Islamic law and guidelines.
