Taliban Flog Nine People, Including Two Women, in Three Provinces

The Taliban’s Supreme Court announced in separate statements that nine individuals were publicly flogged in the provinces of Bamyan, Logar, and Badakhshan on charges of “adultery,” “illicit relationships,” and “sodomy.”

According to one of the statements, on Tuesday, May 13 (23 Sawr), four individuals were punished in Bamyan based on the ruling of the provincial primary court. They were accused of “adultery” and “illicit relationships.” One person was sentenced to 39 lashes, and the other three to 35 lashes each. In addition to flogging, two of them were also sentenced to six months in prison, one to a year, and another to two months of imprisonment.

In another statement, the Taliban’s Supreme Court said that the primary court of Mohammad Agha district in Logar province sentenced four people – including two women – to 20 to 39 lashes on charges of “illicit relationships” and “sodomy.

The statement noted that the punishments were carried out publicly in the presence of local officials, security forces, and residents.

Another statement reported that a man was flogged in Badakhshan province for “sodomy.” He was given 39 lashes in the courtyard of the police headquarters in Yaftal district.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the group has sentenced hundreds of individuals – including women – to corporal punishments such as flogging and execution in public.

According to Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, at least 311 cases of corporal punishment were recorded in the second half of 2024, marking a 22% increase compared to the first half of the year. Among them, at least 47 women were flogged.

International human rights organizations and civil society activists have repeatedly condemned these actions as serious violations of human rights. They describe such punishments as tools to instill fear and intimidation in society. However, the Taliban have rejected the criticism, calling it opposition to Islamic rulings.