KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban has publicly flogged six people, including three women, in separate incidents across Afghanistan over the past two days, as announced by the group’s supreme court.
The floggings took place in Kabul, Sar-e-Pol, and Jowzjan provinces and involved charges ranging from “adultery” and “illicit relationship” to drug related charges and privacy violations, according to statements released by the court.
In the Darz Ab district of Jowzjan, two women were each given 39 lashes and sentenced to three years in prison on Tuesday, June 24, for charges related to “illicit relationships and running away from home.”
In Kabul, a man and a woman were flogged on Monday, June 23, on charges of adultery. Both received 39 lashes and were sentenced to up to one year in prison.
In a separate incident in Kabul on Sunday, June 22, a man was flogged 10 times and sentenced to six months in prison for drug-related offenses.
On the same day in Sar-e-Pol, another man was flogged 20 times for causing injury and “violating privacy.” He received a five-month prison sentence.
These incidents are part of an increasing number of public corporal punishments occurring under Taliban rule. Since early June, at least 80 people, including several women, have been flogged across the country.
The United Nations and human rights organizations have condemned this practice, describing it as cruel, degrading, and a violation of international law. They have also expressed concerns over the lack of due process and legal defense for the accused.
The Taliban maintains that public floggings are part of enforcing Islamic Sharia law, accusing critics of opposing or misinterpreting Islam.
