KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Supreme Court has announced that five people, including two women, were publicly flogged on Sunday, November 17, in the provinces of Faryab and Takhar.
According to the statement from the Taliban’s Supreme Court, two women and one man were sentenced to one to two years in prison and 39 lashes. The sentences were handed down by district courts in Pashtun Kot and Dawlatabad in Faryab, on charges of “running away from home” and engaging in “extramarital affairs.”
In a separate statement, the Supreme Court said that two individuals were publicly flogged in Takhar after being convicted of “homosexuality” and “theft.” Each of the two individuals was sentenced to 39 lashes.
This incident is the latest in a series of public corporal punishments carried out by the Taliban. In recent months, the regime has flogged hundreds of people, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals, on charges the Taliban classifies as “moral corruption.”
In just the past three days, Taliban authorities have publicly flogged at least 34 people, including seven women, across various provinces of Afghanistan.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recently reported 111 cases of corporal punishment from July to September, including the flogging of 15 women and one girl. In addition, the Taliban has carried out several public executions, with at least five individuals convicted of murder put to death in the past two years.
The Taliban’s use of corporal punishment and public executions has drawn widespread condemnation from the international community. Human rights organizations and the UN have called for an immediate end to these practices, citing violations of human rights and international law.
However, Taliban leaders continue to defend their criminal justice system, claiming that it is in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law. They reject international criticism, describing it as interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
