Taliban have flogged at least 74 people across 15 provinces in the past month, including a dozen women, according to figures collected by Amu from the Taliban-run Supreme Court statements.
The punishments — carried out in public squares and sports fields — were imposed on people accused of crimes such as “illicit relations, running away from home, theft and moral corruption.” The largest number of cases were reported in Kabul and Sar-i-Pul, with 19 each, followed by Badakhshan, Parwan, Jawzjan and Paktia.
Witnesses and residents have denounced the floggings as cruel and degrading. “Sports fields have been turned into arenas for whipping women and men,” said one Kabul resident, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal. “This is unacceptable, and the world should not remain silent.”
Another Kabul woman, who gave her name only as Maryam, said: “The Taliban are oppressing us. How long will this cruelty against defenseless Afghans continue? We call on Islamic countries not to stay silent.”
Human rights advocates say the punishments are a flagrant violation of international law.
“The Taliban have turned Sharia and their extremist interpretations into tools to suppress Afghans and maintain power,” said Sima Nouri, a human rights activist. “Silence in the face of these actions amounts to abandoning the international community’s responsibilities.”
Since the Taliban seized power nearly four years ago, more than 1,145 people — including at least 190 women — have been flogged in public, court records show. International organizations, including the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly called on the Taliban to end corporal punishment.
The Taliban, however, continue to defend the practice as part of their enforcement of Islamic law. In a recent escalation, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, their chief justice, on charges of crimes against humanity, including gender-based persecution.
