KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban flogged two individuals, including a woman, in Kabul and Ghazni provinces earlier this week, as the group continues carrying out corporal punishment despite widespread global condemnation.
According to the Taliban Supreme Court, a woman in Kabul was sentenced to 39 lashes and one year in prison on Monday for “running away from home and adultery.”
In a separate statement, the court said another person, whose gender was not specified, was flogged 30 times in Jaghori district of Ghazni province on Tuesday for “adultery.” That individual also received a one-year prison sentence.
The incidents are part of a growing number of public floggings under Taliban rule. In June, more than 80 people, including several women, were publicly whipped across the country.
The Taliban has also resumed capital punishment since returning to power in 2021. At least 10 men convicted of murder have been publicly executed.
The United Nations and rights groups have condemned these punishments as cruel and in violation of international law, urging the Taliban to end such practices.
The Taliban defends the actions as enforcement of Islamic Sharia law and accuses critics of misinterpreting or opposing Islamic principles.
