KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban Supreme Court has announced the public flogging of three individuals, including two women, in Herat and Ghazni provinces, as the group intensifies its use of corporal punishment.
In a statement, the court said that a man and a woman were flogged in southeastern Ghazni province on February 20 on charges of “moral corruption.” Each received 39 lashes in the presence of local Taliban officials and the public, along with two-year prison sentences.
In a separate case, the court said another woman was publicly flogged in western Herat province on charges of “illicit relationship.” She was lashed 15 times and sentenced to six months in prison, according to the Taliban statement.
These incidents are part of a broader pattern of public corporal punishments carried out by the Taliban since their return to power in 2021. Over the past three years, hundreds of people, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals, have been publicly flogged on charges the Taliban categorizes as “moral corruption.”
The Taliban has ramped up its use of corporal punishment in recent months, with floggings occurring almost daily. Since the beginning of February alone, at least 36 people, including seven women, have been publicly flogged across Afghanistan.
The United Nations and human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the Taliban’s use of public punishments, calling them violations of international human rights law. They have urged the group to end the practice immediately.
The Taliban, however, continue to justify their actions as enforcement of Sharia law, dismissing criticism as opposition to Islamic principles.
