KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Supreme Court has announced the public flogging of four individuals, including two women, in the provinces of Takhar and Logar.
According to a statement, the primary court in Farkhar district, Takhar, sentenced a man and a woman to 39 lashes each on charges of adultery. The punishment was carried out on Sunday, October 20.
In a separate case, a man and a woman in Logar’s Kharwar district were sentenced to four months in prison and 35 to 39 lashes for engaging in “illicit relations.” Their sentences were carried out several days ago.
These incidents are part of a broader surge in public corporal punishment, which the Taliban have increasingly imposed across several provinces. The rise in floggings follows orders from the Taliban’s supreme leader, urging local officials to enforce “hudud”—punishments based on Islamic law.
Since regaining power, the Taliban have ramped up such actions, targeting hundreds of individuals, including women and LGBTQ+ people.
A report by the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented 179 instances of corporal punishment in a recent three-month period, including the flogging of 28 women and four children. Public executions have also been staged, with at least five people convicted of murder executed before large crowds.
Human rights organizations have condemned these actions, citing violations of international law and human dignity. Critics also point to the lack of fair legal processes, as those accused often lack access to legal defense.
Despite growing international criticism, the Taliban remain resolute, insisting on the strict enforcement of Sharia law across Afghanistan.