RASC News Agency: Local sources in Balkh province report that the Taliban have publicly flogged two individuals accused of “sodomy” and “child abuse.” Sources claim that these individuals were punished in the absence of evidence or witnesses, based solely on coerced confessions. The Taliban’s Supreme Court has confirmed that two individuals were subjected to public flogging in Balkh on charges of “sodomy.”
In an official statement, the court declared that the punishment was carried out on Wednesday, November 27, following a ruling by the primary court of Koh-e-Alburz district in Balkh province. Each individual was sentenced to four years in prison and 39 lashes. A source in Balkh, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that the Taliban initially accused the two individuals of child abuse but later declared them guilty of sodomy as well.
On the same day, the Taliban also carried out public floggings in Khost province, where a man and a woman were each lashed 39 times for alleged “moral corruption.” Similarly, in Ghor province, a man and a woman accused of the same charges were subjected to 25–39 lashes and sentenced to five months in prison. The frequency of public floggings across Taliban-controlled regions has significantly increased in recent months. Including the latest incidents, the Taliban have reportedly flogged 111 individuals, including 17 women, in various provinces on a range of charges.
The provinces of Jawzjan and Khost have recorded the highest numbers of flogging cases, with 22 incidents reported in Jawzjan and 19 in Khost. Since their return to power in 2021, the Taliban have gradually reverted to their hardline policies of the 1990s. Among these is the widespread implementation of public corporal punishments, a practice that has drawn significant criticism from human rights organizations and the international community.
Global rights advocates have condemned these actions as flagrant violations of fundamental human rights, urging the immediate cessation of such punishments.
