Taliban Flog 23 People, Including 4 Women, in Public Across Four Provinces

The Taliban’s Supreme Court has announced that public floggings were carried out on 23 individuals—four women and 19 men—in the provinces of Daikundi, Kabul, Khost, and Logar.

According to statements released by the court on Wednesday, May 21, a woman and a man in Daykundi province were publicly flogged with 39 lashes each after being convicted of adultery, and were also sentenced to one year in prison. This marks the first public flogging in Daykundi since the Taliban’s return to power.

In Kabul, 12 individuals were publicly punished for allegedly buying, selling, and trafficking narcotic tablets. The court stated that they received between 10 and 39 lashes and were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to eight months.

On the previous day in Khost province, six people, including two women, were publicly flogged for alleged charges of adultery and sodomy. According to the ruling from the city’s primary court, four of them received 39 lashes, while the other two were given 30 lashes. Sentences also included prison terms of one to five years.

In Logar province, three individuals—including one woman—were flogged in Mohammad Agha district for alleged illicit relations and adultery. Each received 39 lashes.

Since reclaiming power in 2021, the Taliban have routinely carried out public corporal punishments, including floggings, and have executed at least ten individuals in front of large crowds.

These actions have drawn strong international condemnation. Human rights organizations consider such punishments to be violations of international law and human dignity and have repeatedly called for their immediate cessation.