KABUL, AFGHANISTAN- Three separate primary courts in Afghanistan have handed down ta’ziri (disciplinary) sentences to groups of individuals convicted of various criminal offences, following confirmation of decisions by the Supreme Court.
In Sayed Karam district of Paktia province, a primary criminal court found two people, including a woman, guilty of illicit sexual relations under Afghan criminal law. On February 2, 2026, the court sentenced each defendant to one year and six months’ imprisonment and 25 lashes as ta’ziri punishment. The ruling was applied after Supreme Court confirmation. The sentencing ceremony was attended by the head of the primary court, local civil and military officials, tribal elders, and residents.
A separate primary court in Laghman’s provincial capital issued sentences on February 3, 2026 to seven individuals accused of sodomy and theft. Six received one year in prison and 39 lashes each. The seventh was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and 39 lashes. This ruling, also upheld by the Supreme Court, was carried out in public at Seraj Historical Garden.
The Primary Court for the Prevention of Narcotics and Alcohol in Kabul on February 3, 2026 handed down sentences to 22 people convicted of trafficking and selling illegal drugs – including zikap, tablet kha(amphetamines), methamphetamine (“glass”), heroin, alcoholic beverages, and cannabis. Prison terms ranged from seven months to three years, with additional ta’ziri lash sentences of 10 to 39 strokes, following confirmation by the Supreme Court.
Ta‘zīri penalties are discretionary punishments imposed by courts for offences that do not fall under fixed Islamic punishments, allowing judges to determine sentences such as imprisonment, fines, or corporal punishment based on the nature of the crime. Afghan authorities say the public enforcement of such rulings is intended to deter crime, reinforce legal authority, and maintain social order. However, the use of corporal punishment and public sentencing continues to draw criticism from human rights groups, who raise concerns about due process, proportionality, and the broader human rights consequences of these practices.
