KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – In Khost province, Afghanistan, a primary court in Tani district has sentenced eight individuals for crimes including sodomy, highway robbery, and moral corruption.
According to the court’s decision on 28 February 2026, the eight men were publicly flogged and punished in an open gathering.
They were convicted by the primary court and received prison terms ranging from one to five years, in addition to between 20 and 39 lashes each.
The punishments were upheld by Afghanistan’s Supreme Court and have now been carried out.
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.
