RASC News Agency: Reliable sources from Kabul report that the Taliban subjected six individuals, including two women, to public flogging, accused of “illicit relationships and sodomy” in the Deh Sabz district of Kabul. The punishment was carried out publicly in a square, witnessed by onlookers. The Taliban-controlled Supreme Court confirmed these events, noting that four individuals were found guilty of engaging in “illicit relationships.” Each of these individuals received “30 lashes” and was sentenced to one year in prison. Additionally, two others, accused of “sodomy,” were sentenced to “39 lashes” and given a prison term of one year and three months.
This public flogging is part of the Taliban’s broader strategy to impose their strict interpretation of Sharia law across Afghanistan. Just one day prior, the group had publicly flogged “10 individuals”, including four women, in three different provinces for various charges. Over the past month, approximately “50 people” have been subjected to such corporal punishment across different provinces for similar accusations. Despite repeated condemnations from international human rights organizations and Afghanistan civil society activists, the Taliban have persisted with such punishments.
The “United Nations Human Rights Council” recently passed a resolution condemning the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment, calling for its immediate cessation. Human rights organizations have labeled these punishment as violations of basic human dignity and the fundamental rights of the Afghanistani people. They stress that these actions stand in stark contrast to internationally recognized human rights standards and the principles of Afghanistani citizenship.
