KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban has publicly flogged 23 people, including four women, in Daykundi, Kabul, Khost, and Logar provinces, amid a recent surge in the use of corporal punishment across Afghanistan.
In a statement, the Taliban’s Supreme Court said a man and a woman were flogged in Daykundi on charges of “adultery” on Wednesday, May 21. Both received 39 lashes and were sentenced to one year in prison, following approval from the group’s top court.
Twelve more people were flogged in Kabul on Tuesday for allegedly buying, selling, and trafficking narcotic pills. They received between 10 and 39 lashes and were sentenced to six to eight months in prison.
On the same day, six people — including two women — were flogged in Khost province on charges of “adultery and sodomy.” According to the court, four were given 39 lashes and three were sentenced to five years in prison. The others received between one and two-year prison terms.
Three more people, one of them a woman, were flogged in Mohammad Agha district of Logar province on Monday, May 19. They were accused of “illicit relationships and adultery,” each receiving up to 39 lashes.
Taliban authorities addressed public gatherings at the events, defending the punishments as necessary to prevent “immorality and corruption” in society. They reiterated their commitment to enforcing corporal and capital punishments under their interpretation of Islamic law.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban has made public corporal punishment a key part of its justice system. Hundreds of people, including women and LGBT+ individuals, have been flogged in public on various charges.
The group has also resumed public executions. At least ten people have been executed publicly in recent years.
The United Nations and many rights organizations have condemned the Taliban’s form of punishment and criticized the legitimacy of the regime’s courts, particularly when accused individuals are denied the right to legal representation and the opportunity to defend themselves.
The Taliban, however, maintains that it implements Sharia law in Afghanistan, accusing other countries and organizations of either lacking sufficient knowledge or having issues with Islam.
