KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban publicly flogged five people, including two women, for “adultery” and “illicit relationships” in Parwan, and a man on charges of “theft” in Paktika, according to the Taliban’s top court.
As announced by the Taliban Supreme Court, five individuals were lashed between 30 and 39 times each in the presence of local authorities and the public at a sports stadium in Charikar city, the capital of Parwan, on Tuesday.
According to the court, the accused individuals were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to six years.
In a separate statement, the court said that a man was publicly flogged for theft in eastern Paktika province on Monday, December 16. He was sentenced to 25 lashes after being found guilty of theft by the regime’s primary court in the province.
These mark the latest instance of public flogging carried out by the Taliban. Over the past two years, they have publicly flogged hundreds of people, including women, girls, boys, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, for alleged “immoral crimes.”
The practice of public flogging has intensified in recent months, with the regime carrying it out nearly every day. Since the beginning of December, at least 31 people, including five women, have been flogged on various charges across Afghanistan.
In his latest report submitted to the UN Security Council on Thursday, December 12, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres documented the flogging of 108 individuals, including 26 women and a girl, in Afghanistan over the past three months.
The Taliban has also publicly executed at least six men for murder since their return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
The UN, human rights groups, and activists have condemned the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment and execution as cruel, inhuman, and a violation of international law, urging the regime to cease the practice.
The Taliban leaders, however, have so far ignored the criticism, arguing that their actions align with their interpretation of Islamic law. They accuse critics of misunderstanding or disagreeing with their interpretation of Sharia.
