KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban has publicly flogged five people, including two women, in Faryab and Kunduz provinces on charges of “moral corruption” and “running away from home.”
In a statement, the Taliban Supreme Court said two men and a woman were flogged 39 times each on charges of “moral corruption” in northern Faryab on Wednesday in front of local authorities and the public. They were also sentenced to one year in prison.
In a separate case in Kunduz province, a man and a woman accused of “running away from home” were flogged on Tuesday and sentenced to two years in prison.
These incidents are the latest in a series of public corporal punishments carried out by the Taliban since their return to power in 2021. In recent months, hundreds of people, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals, have been flogged under charges the Taliban classify as “moral corruption.”
In a recent report to the UN Security Council, UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the flogging of 108 individuals, including 26 women and one girl, in Afghanistan over a three-month period.
The Taliban has also conducted at least six public executions for murder in recent years.
Despite repeated calls from the UN, human rights organizations, and activists to end such practices, the Taliban have remained steadfast in defending their actions, claiming they are enforcing Sharia law in Afghanistan.
