RASC News Agency: Local Taliban authorities in Ghor Province report that they publicly flogged six individuals accused of various crimes. Officials from the Taliban’s Department of Information and Culture in Ghor announced in a press release on Sunday, May 26th, that the accused were punished publicly based on the verdict of the province’s appellate court’s criminal division.
The press release stated that the individuals were convicted of “extramarital relationships and fleeing from home.” According to available information, five of the accused received 39 lashes each, while one received 27 lashes. The punishments were administered at Firuzkoh Stadium, the provincial capital of Ghor. Previously, the Taliban had also flogged eight individuals in Nimroz Province in a similar public display.
This practice by the Taliban has consistently drawn condemnation from human rights organizations. The Taliban’s punishment of young people for extramarital relationships occurs despite several instances of their own members being accused of sodomy and sexual misconduct, who were subsequently released without punishment.
For instance, last year, the head of Breshna in Kabul was visibly recorded engaging in sodomy with a guard. Yet, the Taliban court neither punished nor imprisoned him; instead, he continued in his position.
