KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban publicly flogged six people, including one woman, in Kapisa province on Tuesday, accusing them of “illicit relations” and sodomy, according to the Taliban’s Supreme Court.
The court said in a statement that the individuals were sentenced to between 15 and 39 lashes each, along with prison terms ranging from eight months to two years. The punishments were carried out in the presence of Taliban judicial officials, military personnel, and local residents.
The latest floggings come amid a sharp rise in public punishments under Taliban rule. According to reports, between February 20 and March 1, Taliban courts sentenced at least 72 people—including 14 women—to public lashings across 10 provinces. Charges ranged from theft to “running away from home.”
Rights activists and Afghan citizens have condemned the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment, calling it a return to the brutal policies of the 1990s.
“These punishments are cruel and a clear violation of human rights,” one activist said.
The Taliban’s enforcement of physical punishments has been reported in multiple provinces, including Khost, Nangarhar, Zabul, Faryab, Kabul, Kapisa, Parwan, Herat, Ghazni, and Bamiyan. Observers warn that such practices are becoming more frequent, raising concerns about the Taliban’s hardline approach to justice.
