RASC News Agency: Officials from the Taliban’s Supreme Court have announced that members of the group recently administered corporal punishment to two individuals on charges of “extramarital relations” in Kabul province. According to a statement released by the Taliban’s Supreme Court on Thursday, Feb 1, the verdict was enforced by the Taliban group’s lower court on more than two individuals.
The statement from the Taliban’s Supreme Court indicates that in addition to receiving 35 lashes, each of the two individuals has been sentenced to six months of imprisonment. The Taliban’s Supreme Court has not commented on whether individuals accused of extramarital relations were publicly whipped. Since regaining control of the country over the past two years, the Taliban have consistently carried out such corporal punishments against suspects in public. The group has publicly whipped hundreds of men and women on various charges and executed two individuals so far.
The international community and legal experts have condemned the punishment of suspects without access to legal counsel and fair trials. They believe that this Taliban action violates human rights. However, the Taliban have shown no regard for these reactions and continue to implement whipping and public executions of suspects in obedience to their leader’s orders.
