KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban authorities in northern Faryab province publicly flogged two women and a man, sentencing them to 29 to 39 lashes each on charges of “adultery” and “aiding a woman’s escape from her home.”
In a statement, the Taliban Supreme Court said the flogging occurred in Pashtun Kot and Shirin Tagab districts on Tuesday, September 17.
The Taliban court also stated that the punishment was carried out in the presence of local Taliban authorities and residents of the provinces.
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, often in sports stadiums in front of large audiences.
For instance, in June alone, 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.
In the past two days, Taliban authorities have publicly flogged a man for “sodomy” in Balkh province and a woman for adultery in Sar-e-Pol province.
The regime has also publicly executed at least five individuals convicted of murder across the country.
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.
