Taliban flogged 18 people in public in the capital Kabul on Thursday on charges related to the buying, selling and trafficking of drugs, according to a statement from the Taliban-run Supreme Court.
The court said the punishments were carried out on Jan. 29 under rulings issued by a primary court dealing with narcotics and alcohol offences in Kabul. Those punished received between 15 and 39 lashes and were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven months to two and a half years.
The floggings come amid a rise in corporal punishment across the country. The Taliban have flogged at least 38 people in two provinces so far this week, according to court statements.
Figures compiled by Amu TV from the Taliban Supreme Court announcements show that at least 140 people were flogged in different provinces in the month of Jadi alone. Over the past four months — from late Sept. 2025 to mid-January 2026 — at least 460 people have been subjected to flogging nationwide.
Legal experts have criticised the practice, saying corporal punishment violates fundamental legal principles and due process standards.
The United Nations has repeatedly urged the Taliban to immediately halt public corporal punishment, describing it as inhumane and incompatible with international human rights obligations.
The Taliban, who returned to power in 2021, say their punishments are based on Islamic law, despite growing international condemnation and warnings from rights groups.
