The Taliban’s Supreme Court announced that 36 people — including eight women — were publicly flogged this week in eight provinces: Jawzjan, Khost, Faryab, Ghor, Ghazni, Kabul, Zabul, and Uruzgan. The punishments, involving 15 to 39 lashes, were carried out for alleged offenses such as adultery, blasphemy, bribery, false reporting, theft, same-sex relations, and involvement with alcohol and drugs.
In Jawzjan, two women were flogged 39 times and sentenced to three years in prison for “adultery and fleeing home.” In Khost, 11 people, including three women, received lashes and prison sentences ranging from two to five years.
The court also reported cases in Faryab for drug and alcohol offenses, in Ghor and Ghazni for same-sex relations, and in Kabul for drug trafficking. In Zabul, one man was flogged for theft. In Uruzgan, 15 people, including three women, were punished for theft, adultery, and same-sex relations.
In the first three weeks of April alone, at least 14 individuals were flogged in public across six provinces. Last week, four people were also publicly executed in Badghis, Nimroz, and Farah.
Despite repeated condemnation from international human rights organizations, the Taliban continues to carry out public corporal punishments and executions, drawing widespread criticism for violating basic human rights.
