The Taliban have publicly flogged 19 individuals, including 17 men and two women, in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province and northern Balkh province, according to official statements issued by the group’s Supreme Court.
In a statement released, the Supreme Court of Afghan Taliban reported that 14 men and two women were subjected to corporal punishment in Nangarhar province. The individuals were convicted on charges that the Taliban described as “illicit relationships,” “running away from home,” and the use, purchase, and sale of narcotics and alcoholic beverages.
According to the statement, those punished in Nangarhar received between 10 and 39 lashes each. The floggings were carried out publicly after receiving formal approval from the Taliban’s chief justice, the court said.
In a separate statement, the Supreme Court confirmed that three additional individuals were publicly flogged in recent days in Balkh province on charges related to “alcohol smuggling.” Each of the three received 39 lashes, administered in public. The Taliban stated that all punishments were implemented following judicial proceedings and were carried out in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have repeatedly enforced corporal punishments in public spaces, including floggings. The group has also publicly executed at least 12 individuals in front of large crowds, actions that have drawn widespread international condemnation.
International human rights organizations and legal experts have consistently denounced public executions and corporal punishment, describing them as violations of international law and fundamental human dignity. Rights groups have repeatedly urged the Taliban to immediately halt such practices, warning that they constitute cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment under international human rights standards.
The latest incidents have once again intensified global concern over the human rights situation in Afghanistan, particularly with regard to the treatment of women and the use of public punishment as a tool of governance.
