KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Supreme Court has carried out public floggings of two women and two men in the provinces of Ghor and Parwan, according to an official statement.
The court said that on Wednesday (18 February), a woman and a man in Ghor were publicly flogged for the alleged crime of “adultery.” Each received 39 lashes, in accordance with the ruling of the provincial appeals court.
In a separate statement, the court added that a woman and a man in Sheikh Ali district of Parwan were also flogged in public for “illicit relations” the previous day. Both were sentenced to 39 lashes and additional prison terms of one and two years, respectively.
The Taliban have repeatedly carried out public floggings of individuals accused of moral or sexual offenses, and 12 people have been executed in front of hundreds of spectators.
International human rights organizations have condemned such executions and corporal punishments as violations of international law and human dignity, calling for an immediate halt to these practices.
The Taliban enforces a strict interpretation of Islamic law and has repeatedly defended the use of corporal and capital punishment. Taliban authorities argue these measures are consistent with Sharia law and accuse critics of misrepresenting or opposing Islam.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban has made corporal punishment a central feature of its penal system. The punishments are often carried out for crimes the regime labels as “moral corruption,” including adultery, theft, and other violations of its strict interpretation of Islamic law. Six months ago in June alone, more than 80 people, including several women, were publicly whipped across multiple provinces.
