KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Supreme Court has announced that four women and twelve men were publicly flogged in the provinces of Badakhshan, Faryab, Parwan, and Kabul.
According to a statement issued by the court, on Wednesday, a man and a woman in the Yaftal district of Badakhshan were flogged in public on charges of “running away from home.” Each received 39 lashes.
In a separate statement, the court reported that another man and woman in Pashtun Kot district of Faryab were flogged in public on charges of “running away from home” and “illicit relationship.” Both received 39 lashes. One was sentenced to eight months in prison and the other to one year.
The court also announced that on Monday and Tuesday, six individuals, including two women, were flogged in Salang and Jabal al-Siraj districts of Parwan for alleged adultery and murder. Each received 39 lashes. One individual was sentenced to five years in prison, another to nine months, and four others to three years.
On Sunday, six people were publicly flogged in Kabul for charges related to the buying, selling, and trafficking of narcotic tablets and heroin. Each received 10 lashes and was sentenced to between seven and nine months in prison.
This marks the latest in a growing pattern of public corporal punishments since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Just this week, at least 47 individuals, including several women, have been flogged across various provinces.
The United Nations and human rights organizations have strongly condemned the practice, calling it inhuman and a violation of international law. They have expressed concern over the lack of fair trials and legal representation for the accused.
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, stated that public punishments have significantly increased in 2025 and reiterated that corporal punishment must end.
The Taliban defends the practice as enforcement of Islamic Sharia law, accusing critics of misunderstanding or opposing Islam.
