Taliban publicly flogged nine people — five men and four women — in two provinces on charges including adultery and fleeing from home, according to a statement from the Taliban’s Supreme Court.
In Ghor province, four men and three women were convicted by a district court in Saghar on charges of adultery and fleeing home. They were sentenced to between six months and two years in prison, along with 30 to 39 lashes, the statement said. The floggings were carried out in a public stadium.
Separately, in Azra district of Logar province, one man and one woman were each sentenced to one year in prison and 20 lashes for “leaving home,” the court said. Their punishment was also carried out in public.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have flogged more than 1,200 people in public across various provinces, according to local sources and human rights organizations.
Rights activists and citizens have condemned the Taliban’s use of public corporal punishment, calling it a clear violation of human rights.
In a recent report, the United Nations Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur for Afghanistan criticized the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment and said both men and women are often sentenced without sufficient evidence or access to fair trials — with women and girls disproportionately affected.
