KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban has publicly flogged 22 people, including a woman, in four provinces of Afghanistan over the past three days, the group’s supreme court announced.
In separate statements, the court said the punishments were carried out in Kabul, Khost, Farah, and Baghlan provinces in the presence of local officials and the public, after approval from the group’s highest judicial authority.
In Kabul, ten people were publicly flogged on Monday after being convicted of selling and trafficking alcoholic beverages, narcotic tablets, and hashish. The sentences included up to 39 lashes and prison terms of up to two years.
In Khost province, six people were flogged on Sunday in Spera district on charges of “moral corruption” and “sodomy.” Each was given 39 lashes and sentenced to five years in prison.
In Farah province, five people, including a woman, were flogged on Saturday in Bala Buluk district on charges of “illicit relationship” and “fighting.” They received between 20 and 39 lashes.
In Baghlan province, one person was flogged on Sunday in Khost district on charges of “moral corruption,” receiving 39 lashes and a 21-month prison term.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has reinstated corporal and capital punishments as part of its justice system. Hundreds of people, including women and members of the LGBT+ community, have been subjected to these measures.
The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recorded at least 234 public floggings between April and June this year, including 48 women and one child. In June alone, more than 80 people were whipped in public across several provinces.
The United Nations and human rights groups have condemned these practices as violations of international law and human dignity, raising concerns about the lack of due process in Taliban courts.
The Taliban has defended the punishments as enforcement of Sharia law, dismissing international criticism as prejudice or misunderstanding of Islamic principles.
