KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Supreme Court has announced that two men and a woman were publicly flogged in separate incidents in Laghman and Badakhshan provinces.
In a statement released on Monday (June 2), the court stated that the woman and one of the men were punished in Laghman on charges of “running away from home.” Each received 30 lashes and a six-month prison sentence.
In Badakhshan, another man was flogged in public for allegedly selling alcohol. The local appeals court had sentenced him to 39 lashes.
These cases are part of a broader trend of escalating corporal punishments under Taliban rule. In recent weeks, the group has carried out public floggings in multiple provinces, including Laghman, Kabul, Kunduz, Jawzjan, and Khost.
On Monday, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Richard Bennett condemned the uptick in corporal punishments and renewed calls for their immediate end. He also warned against the normalization of the Taliban and emphasized that no Afghan refugees should be forcibly returned.
Since reclaiming power in August 2021, the Taliban has reintroduced public corporal punishments as a central part of its judicial system. Hundreds of people, including women and members of the LGBT+ community, have been subjected to public floggings for various alleged offenses. The group has also resumed public executions, with at least ten people put to death before crowds in recent years.
These practices have drawn sharp criticism from the United Nations and international human rights organizations, who say such punishments violate international law and human dignity. They also warn of severe due process concerns, noting that Taliban-run courts often deny defendants legal representation and the right to a fair trial.
Despite the backlash, the Taliban claims it is implementing Sharia law according to Islamic principles and accuses critics of either misrepresenting Islam or harboring anti-Islamic bias.
