Taliban publicly flogged three men in northern and southern Afghanistan, according to their statements, in the latest instance of corporal punishment carried out under their judicial system.
The Taliban’s Supreme Court said in two separate statements that the men were punished in Qala-e-Zal district of Kunduz and Shah Joy district of Zabul province. Each received between 30 and 39 lashes and was sentenced to prison terms ranging from one year and six months to three years.
The court said the punishments were carried out after the rulings were approved through its judicial process. The men had been accused of theft and sodomy.
Public floggings have become increasingly common since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, drawing criticism from human rights organizations.
Data compiled from Taliban Supreme Court statements indicate that at least 1,186 people were subjected to flogging over the past solar year, which ended in March.
The punishments have been carried out across much of the country, including in provinces such as Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Kandahar and Nangarhar.
Women have also been affected. According to official figures, nearly 100 women were flogged in the first eight months of the year, most of them in public.
In addition to flogging, the Taliban have resumed the use of qisas, or retributive justice. In one recent case, a man was executed in a sports stadium in Khost province before a large crowd that included children.
Human rights groups have repeatedly condemned such punishments as violations of international law, while Taliban maintain that they are enforcing their interpretation of Islamic law.
