KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Supreme Court has confirmed that five individuals, including a woman, were publicly flogged in eastern Afghanistan’s Khost province on charges of “illicit relationships” and “sodomy.”
In a statement released on Sunday, December 1, the court announced that each individual received 39 lashes following a verdict by the primary court in Khost city. Two of the accused were additionally sentenced to ten months in prison, while three others were handed four-year prison terms. The flogging was carried out with the approval of the Taliban’s Chief Justice.
Since reclaiming power in August 2021, the Taliban have reinstated strict Sharia law, reminiscent of their rule in the late 1990s. This includes 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 on 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 rooted in Islamic law. They accuse critics of misunderstanding or disagreeing with their interpretation of Sharia.
