RASC News Agency: The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice announced that its agents arrested and publicly flogged six men in the Tala wa Barfak district of Baghlan province on allegations of “drinking wine,” an act deemed strictly forbidden under the regime’s harsh interpretation of Islamic law. According to the ministry, these individuals were apprehended while consuming alcohol in a guesthouse located in the village of Darah-e-Ashqan. Saif al-Islam Khyber, spokesperson for the Ministry, declared in an official statement that, beyond consuming alcohol, the accused had engaged in “other immoral acts,” though he refrained from elaborating on the specifics. The ministry further stated that after a cursory investigation, the detainees were transferred to the Taliban’s judicial and punitive bodies for further processing.
Since the Taliban’s brutal return to power in August 2021, the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has evolved into one of the most feared and authoritative arms of the regime. Frequently described by observers as a “super ministry,” its agents, known as mohsibs, wield unchecked power to enforce draconian social regulations nationwide. Their surveillance extends into virtually every aspect of private and public life, policing women’s dress codes, public behavior, social gatherings, and even private relationships. Operating under a rigid and ultra-conservative interpretation of Sharia, these agents routinely conduct invasive searches, arbitrary arrests, violent corporal punishments, and immediate extrajudicial penalties without adherence to due process or any semblance of judicial transparency. The Taliban’s self-styled “Promotion of Virtue Law” empowers these agents with extraordinary authority to enter homes without warrants, stop and interrogate individuals and vehicles, and impose on-the-spot punitive measures.
International human rights organizations have consistently condemned the Taliban for widespread and systematic violations of fundamental rights. The regime’s policies have led to the severe erosion of personal freedoms, particularly the brutal suppression of women and girls, and the normalization of violent punishments executed without fair trials or legal safeguards. The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue has been repeatedly identified as a key instrument of repression, enforcing a pervasive climate of fear and oppression that stifles any form of dissent or deviation from the Taliban’s harsh moral code. The recent flogging incident in Baghlan exemplifies the Taliban’s relentless campaign of terror and social control, conducted under the guise of religious piety. This authoritarian enforcement apparatus not only crushes individual liberties but also institutionalizes brutality as a tool of governance, ensuring that the population remains subjected to constant intimidation and violence.
As the Taliban consolidate power, their use of violent repression cloaked in religious rhetoric remains a stark testament to their disdain for human rights, justice, and the rule of law deepening Afghanistan’s descent into darkness and despair.
