KABUL – The Taliban publicly flogged 14 people, including one woman, in Zabul and Kabul provinces this week, according to statements issued by the group’s Supreme Court.
On Wednesday, the court said that four individuals were flogged in Shah Joy district of Zabul on charges of theft and sodomy, while three others, including a woman, were lashed for alleged “illicit relationships.” Each received between 20 and 30 lashes.
In a separate statement, the court reported that seven individuals were flogged in Kabul on Tuesday for allegedly selling intoxicating tablets, alcohol, and hashish. They were sentenced to between 10 and 39 lashes and given additional prison terms ranging from one to three years.
The incidents mark a continuation of the Taliban’s public corporal punishments since their return to power in 2021. In June, over 80 people, including several women, were publicly whipped across multiple provinces.
The group has also resumed executions, with at least 10 men publicly executed in front of large crowds after being convicted of murder.
The United Nations and international human rights organizations have condemned the use of flogging and capital punishment as violations of international law and human dignity.
They have repeatedly called on the Taliban to halt such practices.
The Taliban, however, defends the punishments as enforcement of Islamic Sharia law, accusing critics of undermining or misinterpreting Islamic values.
