The Taliban’s reclusive leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has ordered an intensification of public punishments as part of efforts to more strictly enforce the Taliban’s morality law, sources familiar with the matter told Amu TV.
The directive was reportedly conveyed to Taliban cabinet members during the Eid al-Fitr holiday and aligns with the objectives of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. According to the sources, the move is also intended as a show of defiance against growing international pressure to uphold human rights in Afghanistan.
While no public punishment has been officially reported since the Eid holiday, sources said that Taliban morality police recently raided a residence in the Ayno Mina area of Kandahar’s Kabudar district, detaining three men and one woman.
Although charges have not been formally disclosed, a source within the Taliban’s Kandahar office for Vice and Virtue said the individuals were arrested on suspicion of engaging in “relations outside of marriage.”
The sources added that some punishments are now being carried out secretly inside Taliban-run detention centers in Kandahar.
International human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment and its broader record of human rights violations since returning to power in 2021. The United Nations and other global bodies have urged the group to halt public floggings, executions, and other forms of punishment deemed to be in violation of international law.
