On Sunday, the Taliban publicly flogged four individuals, including a woman, in the provinces of Laghman in the east and Balkh in the north of Afghanistan.
According to a Taliban statement, a woman and a man were publicly flogged in Balkh province.
They were accused of having “an affair and running away from home.” The statement detailed that each was beaten 35 times and sentenced to two years in prison. The flogging ceremony in Balkh was attended by several Taliban officials, including their provincial court chief.
In a separate incident, the Taliban publicly flogged two people in Laghman province. The Taliban court’s statement indicated that these individuals were accused of “immorality” and each received 30 lashes. The ceremony was attended by Taliban officials, including the provincial court chief.
These floggings follow recent instances of public corporal punishment by the Taliban. On Saturday, Feb. 24, two people were publicly whipped in Sar-e-Pul province, and last week, two individuals were executed in Ghazni province.
In less than two years since their return to power, the Taliban have publicly flogged hundreds across various provinces for a range of offenses.
