RASC News Agency: Amnesty International has condemned the flogging of 63 individuals, including 15 women, in a single day at a stadium in Sar-e Pol province, calling it shocking, inhumane, and a blatant violation of international laws. On Thursday, June 6, the organization posted on “X” that the Taliban must immediately cease the use of flogging as a punishment.
The UN Human Rights Office also stated on Wednesday, June 5, that corporal punishment, such as flogging, violates human dignity and Afghanistan’s international commitments. This follows the Taliban’s announcement last Tuesday that 63 individuals were publicly flogged at the central stadium in Sar-e Pol province, with two more being punished in Panjshir province.
Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, arbitrary, secret, and public punishments have increased, with people frequently witnessing public floggings.
The Taliban have repeatedly claimed that their punishments, including flogging, are based on Sharia law—a perspective that renowned Islamic scholars describe as the “Taliban’s interpretation” or “Taliban’s Sharia,” a construct of the Taliban rather than the religion itself. Many people reacting to the public floggings assert that the Taliban’s version of Sharia has been reduced solely to flogging.
Mawlawi Ahmad Rahim, a well-known scholar, wrote on his Facebook page today, “Public floggings and the mistreatment of people through whipping are disgraceful acts that have nothing to do with humanity.”
