KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban publicly flogged 11 people, including three women, in four provinces on charges ranging from theft to what the group calls “moral corruption,” as corporal punishment continues across Afghanistan.
In separate statements, the Taliban Supreme Court said the punishments were carried out in Kapisa, Ghazni, Khost, and Takhar provinces over the past two days.
In Kapisa, three men and two women were flogged on charges of “illicit relationship and sodomy” on Monday, each receiving 39 lashes and prison sentences of up to one and a half years.
In Takhar, a man and a woman were publicly whipped on Wednesday for “running away from home,” each receiving 30 lashes in front of local officials and residents.
In Khost, three people were flogged on Wednesday on charges of “moral corruption and theft.” Each received between 20 and 30 lashes and was sentenced to one year in prison.
In Ghazni province, one man was flogged on Wednesday on charges of “moral corruption,” receiving 25 lashes and a one-year prison sentence, according to the court.
Public lashings and other corporal punishments have become frequent since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Hundreds of people, including women and children, have been subjected to such punishment on charges such as theft, sodomy, running away from home.
The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented 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 multiple provinces, UNAMA said.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the United Nations, have condemned the punishments as violations of international law and human dignity, urging the Taliban to end the practice.
The Taliban maintain that flogging, other corporal punishments, and public execution are part of their implementation of Islamic law and dismiss international criticism as interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
