The Taliban publicly flogged two individuals in Nahr-e-Shahi district of Balkh province on Thursday, marking the latest instance of corporal punishment under their rule.
In a statement, the Taliban’s Supreme Court said both individuals were sentenced to four months in prison and received 39 lashes each. The verdict was issued by a local court in Nahr-e-Shahi and later approved by the Supreme Court, the statement added.
According to Taliban statements, at least 74 people, including several women, have been publicly flogged across Afghanistan since the beginning of March. The Taliban have charged these individuals with offenses such as theft and “running away from home.”
Human rights groups and Afghan citizens have condemned the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment, calling it “cruel and a violation of fundamental human rights.” Critics argue that the Taliban are reviving the hardline policies of their 1990s rule, when public floggings, amputations, and executions were widespread.
The United Nations and other international organizations have repeatedly called on the Taliban to halt the use of corporal punishment. Despite global pressure, the group has continued to carry out public punishments, citing their interpretation of Islamic law.
Since reclaiming power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed increasingly repressive policies, particularly targeting women and dissenting voices, and have rolled back many of the legal protections established in Afghanistan over the past two decades.
