Afghanistan

Taliban carries out public flogging in Paktika

Taliban flogging some men and women in Parwan in December 2022. File photo.

Taliban on Monday publicly flogged a man in the eastern province of Paktika after he was convicted of theft.

According to a Taliban statement, the man was struck 39 times.

In the past two weeks, at least 38 people, including women, have been publicly lashed across several provinces for a range of offenses, the statement said.

On Saturday, 11 individuals were flogged in public in the provinces of Bamiyan, Maidan Wardak, and Ghor.

Despite mounting international criticism, including from the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Taliban has continued to impose corporal punishment, most often in the form of public flogging, since returning to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Human rights groups have condemned the practice, arguing that it violates international law and basic human rights norms.