Taliban publicly flogged six people in eastern Khost province, according to a statement by the Taliban’s supreme court on Monday, continuing a punishment widely denounced by the United Nations and rights groups.
The court said the individuals were convicted by a Taliban primary court in Khost of what it described as “moral corruption and sodomy.” Each was sentenced to five years in prison and 39 lashes, the statement said.
The floggings took place in front of a crowd, consistent with the Taliban’s revival of corporal punishment since their return to power in 2021.
This comes days after Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, told the Human Rights Council in Geneva lasts week that at least 672 people have been flogged by the Taliban across multiple provinces this year alone.
The United Nations and international human rights organizations have repeatedly called on the Taliban to end corporal punishment, saying it violates Afghanistan’s international obligations and constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
Despite such criticism, Taliban have continued to defend public lashings and executions, saying they are enforcing Islamic law.
