RASC News Agency: Reports indicate that the Taliban have carried out public floggings of four individuals two in Kabul and two in Paktia on charges ranging from theft and moral corruption to adultery. Eyewitnesses from Paktia confirm that the Taliban publicly lashed two individuals in an open field, as part of their ongoing implementation of strict punitive measures. The Taliban’s Supreme Court issued a statement on Thursday, December 12, confirming the executions of these punishments. It noted that the punishments were carried out publicly in Kabul and Paktia, in accordance with their judicial rulings.
In Kabul, two individuals were found guilty of “adultery” by the Fourth District Primary Court and were sentenced to public flogging. Each received 19 lashes and was further condemned to one year of imprisonment. An eyewitness from the crowd, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that the punished individuals were immediately transferred to prison following the flogging. In a parallel announcement, the Taliban’s Supreme Court detailed the flogging of two additional individuals in the Samkani district of Paktia. These individuals were accused of “theft” and “moral corruption” and were subjected to 39 lashes each. One was sentenced to a year of imprisonment, while the other received an eight-month prison term.
Since their return to power, the Taliban have consistently enforced public punishments, including floggings and executions, as part of their judicial system. Numerous instances of public corporal punishment have been reported across Afghanistan, with six individuals reportedly executed in front of hundreds of onlookers. International human rights organizations have strongly condemned these actions, deeming corporal punishments and public executions to be flagrant violations of international law and human dignity. These organizations have repeatedly called on the Taliban to halt such practices. However, the Taliban have defied these appeals, reiterating their intention to continue implementing floggings, stoning, and executions in line with their interpretation of Islamic law.
Such punishments underscore the group’s harsh judicial system, which has drawn widespread criticism both domestically and internationally for its brutality and lack of due process.
