As the People’s Tribunal on Taliban Crimes opened in Madrid, the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan publicly flogged five people in Kapisa province on charges of “extramarital relations.”
According to a statement issued by the Taliban’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, 8 October, three men and two women were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six months to one and a half years, along with 39 lashes each. The court confirmed that the sentences were approved at the highest level and carried out in Hesa-1 Kohistan district, in the presence of Taliban officials and local residents.
This incident is part of a growing list of public punishments under the Taliban’s strict enforcement of their version of Islamic Sharia law. Such acts have continued despite ongoing international condemnation and repeated objections from global human rights organisations.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have carried out public floggings, amputations, and executions in various parts of the country, often in front of large crowds. These actions have intensified concerns about the regime’s disregard for basic human rights and international norms.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the People’s Tribunal on Taliban Crimes convened in Madrid to mark four years since the group’s return to power. The tribunal is examining evidence of systemic abuse under Taliban rule, with a focus on violations targeting women, girls, ethnic minorities, and political dissenters.
The timing of the tribunal’s opening alongside another instance of corporal punishment in Afghanistan underscores the widening divide between global efforts for justice and the Taliban’s entrenched practices within the country.
