The Afghan Taliban continue their relentless crackdown on civilians, carrying out public floggings and prison sentences with little regard for international condemnation. The Taliban’s Supreme Court announced that eight people, including one woman, were publicly whipped in Sar-e Pol and Zabul provinces for charges ranging from extramarital relations to theft.
In Zabul province’s Shahjoy district, two individuals were sentenced to prison and received between 30 and 39 lashes each. Meanwhile, in Kohistanat district of Sar-e Pol province, six people—including a woman—were convicted of similar offenses and given between 29 and 35 lashes, along with prison terms of two to three years.
Despite repeated calls from global human rights organisations to end torture and corporal punishment, the Taliban insist such actions are part of their implementation of “Islamic Sharia,” showing no willingness to reconsider or reform.
A report by the Rawadari human rights organisation on March 25 highlighted the depth of the abuses over the past year. According to the report, the Taliban imposed cruel and degrading punishments, including Qisas (law of retribution) sentences for six individuals, stoning a woman, and flogging 857 people.
The report also documented 611 people—among them 48 women and 35 children—who were deliberately killed or injured by the Taliban or unidentified perpetrators. Victims were predominantly former government employees, protesters, civil society activists, human rights defenders, community elders, and individuals accused of cooperating with opposition groups.
Human rights observers warn that the Taliban’s unyielding approach reflects an administration unwilling to alter its brutal practices, keeping the Afghan population under constant fear and repression.
