Taliban publicly flogged five people, including a woman, in the eastern provinces of Paktia and Laghman on Monday, continuing their use of corporal punishment despite international condemnation.
According to statements released by the Taliban-controlled Supreme Court, the individuals were punished in separate incidents in the Ahmad Aba district of Paktia Province and the Alingar district of Laghman Province. They faced allegations including fleeing from home, facilitating such acts, theft and same-sex relations, the court said.
Each person received between 30 and 35 lashes and was sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to three years, the statements said. The floggings were carried out publicly after the sentences were confirmed by the court.
Local Taliban officials and residents were reportedly present during the punishments.
Since May 21, at least 26 people, including one woman, have been subjected to public floggings in the provinces of Kabul, Paktia and Laghman. That figure follows 81 recorded public lashings — including 15 women — during the previous month alone across more than a dozen provinces.
Human rights groups have denounced the continued use of corporal punishment, describing it as a violation of international conventions and fundamental human dignity. Afghan citizens, too, have voiced outrage, calling the practice “cruel and inhumane.”
Taliban have said the floggings were imposed for a range of offenses, including fleeing from home, theft, adultery, illicit relationships, drug-related crimes, and what they term “immoral acts.”
In addition to corporal punishment, the Taliban carried out four executions in the provinces of Farah, Nimruz and Badghis in April, invoking the principle of qisas — retributive justice — in cases of murder. The executions drew sharp criticism from international rights organizations and Western governments.
