Taliban publicly flogged five people in Kapisa Province and two more in Ghazni and Paktia on charges ranging from “illicit relationships” to theft, according to statements from the Taliban’s Supreme Court.
In Kapisa’s Alasay district, three women and two men were lashed between 8 and 39 times, with additional sentences of six months to a year in prison.
In Ghazni’s Muqur district and the provincial capital of Paktia, two men were flogged 39 times each, with one sentenced to four years in prison and the other to a year.
The punishments, carried out in public, drew large crowds, including Taliban judicial, police, and intelligence officials, as well as local community leaders. The Taliban have defended these acts as part of their enforcement of Islamic law.
A surge in public floggings
Since their return to power in 2021, Taliban have increasingly used corporal punishment, often conducted in public, as a tool to enforce their interpretation of Sharia law. According to their Supreme Court, 580 individuals, including 42 women, were flogged in public over the past year.
In the last two months of 2024 alone, 93 people—including 12 women—were publicly lashed in 10 provinces. These punishments have been administered for a range of alleged offenses, including moral and criminal charges such as “running away from home,” theft, and “illicit relationships.”
The United Nations and human rights organizations have strongly condemned the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment, describing public lashings as a blatant violation of international human rights standards. These groups have urged the Taliban to cease public punishments immediately.
Despite international outcry, Taliban continue to implement such practices as they consolidate their rule, leaving Afghanistan further isolated on the global stage.
