RASC News Agency: Local sources in Khost province report that the Taliban publicly whipped three individuals in the city for various alleged offenses. The Taliban Supreme Court announced today, Tuesday, April 30, that three people were whipped in Khost province for charges of fraud and extramarital sexual relations in front of a public audience.
According to the Taliban court’s announcement, all three defendants received 39 lashes each in the presence of local Taliban officials. The announcement added that one of the individuals was sentenced to two years in prison, while the other two were sentenced to six months each. The Taliban Supreme Court stated that the punishments were carried out according to the decision of the Public Security Division of the Khost provincial primary court.
Previously, the court had also sentenced five individuals to 39 lashes for theft and “moral corruption” in Khost province. The United Nations Human Rights Council, in its latest report, assessed the human rights situation in Afghanistan, expressing concern over the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment and calling for its cessation.
After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the group’s “invisible” leader warned in an audio recording about implementing sharia law in public, a practice the group’s courts have since enforced.