KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Supreme Court has announced that five individuals, including one woman, have been publicly flogged in the provinces of Paktika, Kabul, Faryab, and Kunduz.
According to a statement from the court, two individuals were lashed today in the district of Janikhel, Paktika province, on charges of “theft,” based on the verdict of the primary court of the district. Each of these individuals received 35 lashes and was sentenced to two years of enforced imprisonment.
The Taliban Supreme Court also reported that one person was lashed today in Kabul on charges of “fraud.” This individual received 15 lashes, following a ruling from a court in Kabul city.
In another statement, the Taliban Supreme Court mentioned that a woman was lashed yesterday in the district of Pashtunkot, Faryab province, on charges of “running away from home.” The woman was lashed 39 times and sentenced to one year of enforced imprisonment.
Additionally, the Supreme Court announced that a man was lashed yesterday in the district of Qala-e-Zal, Kunduz province, on charges of “sodomy.” This man received 39 lashes and was sentenced to two years of enforced imprisonment.
Since regaining power in August 2021, the Taliban have reinstated strict Sharia law, reminiscent of their rule in the late 1990s. This includes corporal punishments such as public floggings, executions, and stonings.
The regime has already carried out six public executions for murder and subjected hundreds of individuals, including women and members of the LGBTQ+ community, to public floggings for various offenses.
Reports indicate a rise in such punishments in recent months, with public floggings occurring almost daily, often for charges the Taliban categorize as “moral corruption.” The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recently documented 111 cases of corporal punishment between June and September this year, including 15 women and one girl.
Human rights organizations and the UN have strongly condemned these practices, criticizing the lack of due process in the Taliban’s judicial system, which often denies defendants access to legal representation and fair trials.
Despite international condemnation, the Taliban maintain that their actions are based on Sharia law. They accuse critics of “misunderstanding” with their interpretation of Sharia.
