Taliban have publicly flogged more than 160 people across 18 provinces — including 19 women — over the past 37 days, according to data compiled by Amu from statements by the Taliban’s Supreme Court, raising alarm among human rights activists and residents over the resurgence of corporal punishment.
The floggings were carried out in provinces including Kabul, Laghman, Khost, Kunar, and Parwan, with the capital accounting for the highest number of cases: 57 public floggings in just over five weeks.
Those punished were accused of offenses such as “moral corruption,” theft, and fleeing home without permission. The punishments were administered in public view — often in town squares or marketplaces — drawing concern and condemnation from local residents.
“The Taliban have been abusing people since the day they returned to power,” said one Kabul resident. “They beat women and men in front of everyone, while their own actions go unchecked.”
Another local added, “We’re exhausted. The cruelty continues every day, and no one holds them accountable.”
Rights groups have condemned the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment as a violation of international law. “Flogging citizens in public is a blatant violation of human rights,” said Sima Nouri, a women’s rights advocate. “The Taliban have weaponized Sharia law and extreme interpretations of religion as tools to suppress the Afghan people and maintain power. The international community’s silence on this is a betrayal of its human rights commitments.”
The United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Afghanistan has also denounced the Taliban’s reliance on corporal punishment, warning that women and girls are disproportionately affected. The U.N. said many are sentenced without due process or sufficient evidence.
Despite repeated calls by international human rights organizations to end public punishments, the Taliban continue to defend the floggings as enforcement of Islamic justice. Over the past three years, the group has flogged more than 1,070 people — including 178 women — in public settings, according to Amu’s findings.
Critics say such practices reflect the Taliban’s hardline rule and rejection of global norms. “Every lash delivered in public,” said Nouri, “is a reminder that the Taliban’s version of justice is rooted in fear, not fairness.”
