At least 22 people were flogged by the Taliban in front of a big crowd at a stadium in the northern provinve of Jawzjan on Tuesday, local sources said.
The punishments were carried out in Dostum Stadium on charges including “immoral relations,” drug trafficking, and alcohol-related offenses, sources added.
Witnesses reported that the individuals received between 25 and 29 lashes each, with sentences ranging from one month to one year in prison, depending on the severity of the charges.
In separate announcements on Tuesday, the Taliban’s Supreme Court stated that five other people, including one woman, were publicly flogged in the provinces of Maidan Wardak, Paktika, and in the capital, Kabul.
The United Nations, in its quarterly report covering July through September, documented 111 instances of public flogging by the Taliban across Afghanistan. This includes punishments meted out to 95 men, 15 women, and one girl. The U.N. report underscored concerns about human rights abuses under the Taliban’s interpretation of justice.
Last month, the United Nations Human Rights Council condemned the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment and called for its immediate suspension. Amnesty International has also voiced concerns, warning that the lack of judicial fairness in Taliban-run courts raises serious risks of human rights violations.
