KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban carried out public floggings of 22 individuals, including two women, in three provinces over the past two days, highlighting the group’s continued use of corporal punishment despite international criticism.
In a statement, the Taliban Supreme Court said 18 people were publicly flogged in Kabul on Wednesday after being convicted of selling and trafficking narcotic tablets, hashish, and alcoholic beverages. Each received up to 39 lashes and prison terms of up to three years.
On the same day, three people, including two women, were lashed in Darz Ab district of Jowzjan province. They were convicted of “adultery and illegal marriage” and sentenced to 15 to 39 lashes, along with prison terms of up to three years.
Separately, in Balkh province on Tuesday, one person was publicly flogged for transporting alcohol, receiving 39 lashes in front of local authorities and a gathered crowd, the court said.
These punishments reflect the Taliban’s ongoing use of corporal punishment since their return to power in August 2021, a practice widely condemned by the UN and international human rights organizations. Rights groups have called the actions violations of fundamental human rights, describing them as cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, and have urged the Taliban to end the practice.
A recent UN report documented at least 215 cases of public corporal punishment in Afghanistan between August 1 and October 31, including 42 women, two girls, and one boy. The report noted that those punished were accused of a range of offenses, from adultery, fleeing their homes, and same-sex relations to alcohol consumption and gambling.
