Taliban publicly flogged 17 people in Khost province on Wednesday on charges of “illicit relationship, sodomy and theft.”
The Taliban-run Supreme Court said in a statement that three individuals were sentenced to one year in prison and received 39 lashes each. Three others were sentenced to six months in prison and were flogged between 25 and 30 lashes. Another person was sentenced to 10 months in prison and flogged 39 times, according to the statement. Nine people were sentenced to one year and received between 30 and 39 lashes. One individual was sentenced to one year and five months in prison and was also flogged 39 times.
This is the latest instance of public corporal punishment by the Taliban, who have flogged nearly 60 people across different provinces in the last three weeks for various offenses.
The Taliban’s use of corporal punishment, including public floggings, has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights organizations, including the United Nations Human Rights Council and the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Both organizations have called for an end to the practice, citing concerns over human rights violations.
Despite international outcry, the Taliban have continued to impose these punishments, signaling a disregard for global human rights standards since their return to power in 2021.
