KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, has raised alarm over a sharp rise in public corporal punishments by the Taliban in 2025.
In a post on X on Monday (June 2), Bennett said the Taliban flogged at least 63 men and four women in public just last week. He described the rise in such punishments as a serious violation of international law and called for an immediate end to the practice.
“A stark reminder that the Taliban must not be normalized, and no Afghans abroad should be forcibly returned,” he warned.
Since reclaiming power in August 2021, the Taliban has reintroduced public corporal punishments, including floggings, as a central feature of its judicial system. Hundreds of people, including women and LGBT+ individuals, have been subjected to such punishments on various charges.
The group has also resumed public executions, with at least ten individuals executed in front of large crowds in recent years.
The United Nations and global human rights organizations have strongly condemned these practices, citing violations of human dignity and international legal standards. Concerns have also been raised about the absence of due process, with many defendants denied legal representation or a fair trial.
The Taliban continues to defend its actions as enforcement of Sharia law, accusing critics of either lacking understanding of Islam or harboring bias against it.
