KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban Supreme Court has announced that a woman was publicly flogged on charges of “theft” in Faryab province, northern Afghanistan.
In a statement today, the Taliban court said the woman was flogged in the presence of local authorities and a crowd of people in Andkhoy district on Thursday, December 26.
The statement says the woman received 39 lashes following the primary court’s verdict and the Taliban Supreme Court’s approval.
This marks the latest instance of public flogging carried out by the Taliban. Over the past three 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 41 people, including six women, have been flogged on various charges across Afghanistan.
In his latest report submitted to the UN Security Council on 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 disregarded 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.
