RASC News Agency: Continuing their implementation of corporal punishment, the Taliban publicly flogged two women and six men in the provinces of Khost and Ghor. The Taliban’s Supreme Court issued two separate statements confirming the punishments, stating that in Khost province, a man and a woman were each subjected to 39 lashes for alleged “moral corruption.” According to the statements, in Ghor province, another woman and man, also convicted of the same offense, were flogged between 25 and 39 times each and additionally sentenced to five months in prison. Furthermore, four men in Ghor, charged with “fornication and sodomy,” received between 25 and 39 lashes and were sentenced to prison terms ranging from four months to two years.
These punishments were carried out publicly in sports stadiums in Ghor and in the courtyard of the Khost appeals court, in the presence of Taliban officials, government employees, military personnel, and local civilians. The Taliban’s Supreme Court confirmed that the sentences were carried out after receiving approval from the court and were executed in the presence of various Taliban authorities. Over the past month, including these individuals, the Taliban has publicly flogged 109 people, including 17 women, across different provinces of Afghanistan. The provinces of Jozjan and Khost have witnessed the highest number of public flogging cases, with 22 incidents in Jozjan and 19 in Khost.
Since reclaiming control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban has gradually reintroduced policies reminiscent of the 1990s, including the widespread application of public corporal punishments. These practices have drawn widespread condemnation from both human rights organizations and the international community. Human rights groups have decried these acts as blatant violations of human rights, demanding their immediate cessation.
