Taliban Whipped Ten People, Including Two Women, in Public in Three Provinces

The court stated today, Thursday (November 28), in three separate statements that in Khost province, one woman and one man, accused of "moral corruption," were each whipped 39 times.

Another statement from the court mentioned that in Ghor province, one woman and one man, convicted on similar charges, were whipped between 25 to 39 times and each sentenced to five months in prison. Additionally, four other men in Ghor, accused of "adultery and sodomy," were whipped between 25 to 39 times and sentenced to four months to two years in prison.

It was reported that these punishments were carried out in sports stadiums in Ghor province and in the courtyard of the Khost province court in front of a crowd of people.

Meanwhile, another statement from the court indicated that two individuals in the Koh-e-Alborz district of Balkh province, accused of "sodomy," were publicly whipped 35 times each and sentenced to four years in prison.

According to the Taliban Supreme Court's statement, these sentences were carried out after being approved by the Supreme Court and in the presence of judicial officials, government employees, Taliban military personnel, and some local people.

It is worth noting that according to reports, over the past month, the Taliban has publicly whipped 111 people, including 17 women, in different provinces of the country for various offenses.

Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, the group has gradually returned to its 1990s policies. One of these policies is the implementation of corporal punishment in public, which is now widely practiced in various parts of Afghanistan.

These actions by the Taliban have faced severe reactions from human rights organizations and the international community. Human rights organizations have condemned these punishments as blatant violations of human rights and called for their immediate cessation.