KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban publicly flogged an individual accused of an “illicit relationship” in northern Afghanistan’s Baghlan province, the group’s supreme court announced on Wednesday.
In a statement, the court said the punishment was carried out on Tuesday in Dandghouri district, where the individual received 35 lashes in the presence of local authorities and members of the public.
Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban have conducted hundreds of public floggings across Afghanistan on charges including extramarital relations, theft, and alcohol-related offences. Such punishments often occur in public venues, including sports stadiums, mosques, and district centers.
Human rights groups and United Nations experts have repeatedly condemned the practice, calling public floggings cruel, inhuman, and degrading, and in violation of international human rights standards to which Afghanistan is bound.
Taliban authorities defend the punishments as compliant with their interpretation of Islamic law and essential for preserving social order, despite domestic and international criticism.
