Taliban judicial officials said Tuesday that four people, including a woman, were publicly flogged in eastern Afghanistan for allegedly committing offenses such as “illicit relations” and “running away from home.”
The Supreme Court of the de facto radical Afghan rulers announced the latest punishments, saying they were carried out in Nangarhar province after a local court sentenced the four “criminals” to 39 lashes each.
This comes just days after the Taliban reported that five Afghans, including a woman, were flogged in public 39 times each in Parwan and Faryab provinces for committing acts considered crimes under their strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, such as adultery and homosexuality.
The United Nations has condemned such punishment being increasingly inflicted on Afghans under Taliban rule. Richard Bennett, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, stated in his latest report that the use of corporal punishment by the Taliban amounts to “torture and other ill-treatment.”
Bennett documented an “alarming increase” in such public floggings, with the Taliban’s Supreme Court reporting that 276 Afghans, including 46 women, were publicly punished between January and August 2023. He said individuals were also punished for “crimes” such as sodomy, homosexuality, and aiding a woman’s escape from home.
The U.N. envoy questioned the enforcement of the Taliban’s criminal justice system, noting the absence of legal protections and due process rights for defendants, including children. The report also detailed an alarming rise in cases of sexual violence against Afghan women in Taliban custody.
The Taliban defend their policies, including the harsh punishments, as being in line with their interpretation of Sharia law. However, no country has officially recognized the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, citing human rights concerns and the treatment of women.
