AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOGS SIX PEOPLE IN KHOST AND ONE IN FARYAB PROVINCES

December 8, 2024:

The Taliban publicly flogged six individuals in eastern Khost province and one person in northern Faryab province on December 3, 2024.
The Taliban Supreme Court announced in a statement that six people were flogged for “illicit relations,” “theft,” and “fraud” in the provincial capital of Khost.
The court added that the individuals received between 30 to 35 lashes each and prison sentences ranging from one to two years.
In a separate statement, the Court stated that one person was publicly flogged for “illicit relations” in Pashtoon Kot district of Faryab province. According to the court, the individual received 39 lashes and a three-year prison sentence.
Since reclaiming power in August 2021, the Taliban have reinstated strict Sharia law, similar to their rule in the late 1990s. This includes punishments like public floggings, executions, and stonings.
Over the past three years, the Taliban have publicly flogged hundreds of people, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals, across Afghanistan. The regime has also publicly executed six men convicted of murder during this period.
Reports show a rise in such punishments in recent months, with public floggings happening almost every day, often for charges the Taliban categorize as “moral corruption.”
Last month alone, the Taliban publicly flogged at least 81 people, including 15 women, on various charges across Afghanistan.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recently documented 111 cases of corporal punishment between June and September this year, including 15 women and one girl.