The Taliban have begun enforcing their newly approved penal code, sentencing a man in western Afghanistan to one year in prison and 39 lashes for allegedly insulting their supreme leader, according to three local and informed sources.
The sentence, issued by a Taliban primary court in Badghis Province, appears to be the first known application of the new code since it was formally endorsed by the Taliban leader. Despite domestic and international criticism of the document, Taliban authorities have moved ahead with its implementation.
