KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban administered public floggings to five individuals, including a woman, on Wednesday in the provinces of Maidan Wardak and Sar-e-Pul, as part of their continued use of corporal punishment for offenses including theft and extramarital relations.
According to a statement from the Taliban’s Supreme Court, four men in the Jalrez district of Maidan Wardak were convicted of theft and sentenced by a local court to prison terms along with public lashes.
Two of the men received two-year prison terms and 25 lashes each. A third was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and 25 lashes, while the fourth was given two years and eight months, also with 25 lashes. The punishments were carried out in the presence of local Taliban officials, including judges and security personnel.
In a separate case in Sar-e-Pul Province, a woman was publicly flogged after being convicted of having an extramarital relationship. The Taliban’s criminal court sentenced her to one year in prison and 39 lashes. The punishment was carried out in the courtyard of the appellate court, reportedly in the presence of Taliban judges, court staff, armed personnel, and local residents.
The incidents are part of a wider pattern of corporal punishments reintroduced by the Taliban since their return to power in August 2021, echoing practices from their previous rule in the 1990s. Despite international condemnation, the group has defended such sentences as compliant with their interpretation of Islamic law.
Official figures released by the Taliban’s judiciary indicate that more than 798 individuals — including at least 140 women — have been publicly flogged across various provinces in the past three years.
In the current solar year alone (beginning March 2024), at least 456 people, including 60 women, have reportedly received public corporal punishment in 26 provinces, including Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat.
During the final quarter of last year, more than 200 people — among them 30 women — were publicly flogged in 14 provinces.
In addition to flogging, the Taliban judiciary has issued at least 176 rulings for qisas (retribution), 37 for stoning, and four for “wall-collapsing” executions since taking control.
The offenses cited in these cases include adultery, running away from home, sodomy, and theft.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned these actions as flagrant violations of international human rights standards. Some Afghan citizens have also spoken out, describing the punishments as cruel and calling for international intervention.
