Taliban Flog Four People, Including Three Women, in Balkh and Parwan

The Taliban’s Supreme Court has announced that four individuals, including three women, were flogged in public in the provinces of Balkh and Parwan.

According to a statement by the court, on Tuesday (June 3), three people were punished publicly in Balkh province on charges of “illicit relationships.” One man was sentenced to 39 lashes, while two women received 30 lashes each. The ruling was issued and carried out by the Balkh City Primary Court.

In a separate statement, the court said that on Monday (June 2), a woman in Parwan province was sentenced to 39 lashes for committing adultery.

The punishment was reportedly carried out in the courtyard of the city’s primary court in the presence of officials, court staff, and local residents.

Taliban officials have emphasized that these punishments are part of the implementation of Sharia law and the group’s penal code. However, international human rights organizations have expressed concern over the continued use of public corporal punishments and have called for an immediate end to such practices.

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, condemned the floggings and reiterated the call for an end to public and corporal punishments. He warned that “normalizing such practices” violates human dignity and international human rights standards.