KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban said on Monday that four individuals were publicly flogged in the provinces of Ghazni and Ghor after being convicted of sodomy by local courts.
According to statements issued by the Taliban’s Supreme Court, the individuals received between 15 and 20 lashes and were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to eight months. The punishments, the court said, have already been carried out.
The announcement comes days after Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada reportedly instructed authorities to increase the implementation of so-called Sharia-based punishments following the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
According to information obtained by Amu, at least 19 people—including five women—have been flogged in public across the provinces of Jawzjan, Khost, Ghor, Ghazni and Faryab in the past week alone.
The Taliban leadership has repeatedly emphasized the enforcement of hudud and qisas punishments, which include corporal penalties such as flogging and execution. In a recent speech to religious instructors preparing pilgrims for Hajj, Akhundzada declared that he would uphold these punishments “even at the cost of his life.”
On Friday, April 11, the Taliban also carried out public executions of four individuals in the provinces of Nimroz, Farah and Badghis. The group described the killings as acts of qisas—retribution sanctioned by its interpretation of Islamic law.
The Taliban’s resumption of corporal punishments has drawn condemnation from the international community and human rights organizations, who have labeled the actions as cruel, inhumane and in violation of international legal standards.
