AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN FLOGS OVER 240 PEOPLE IN THREE MONTHS, UN REPORTS

November 6, 2025:

The Taliban publicly flogged at least 242 people across Afghanistan between July and September this year, including 48 women, one boy, and two girls, according to a new report by the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
The report, released on October 28, highlighted one of the largest incidents of public flogging, which occurred on August 13 in Sar-e-Pol province in northern Afghanistan. Twenty-one people were publicly flogged, receiving between 21 and 39 lashes each, and were also sentenced to prison terms.
The individuals were punished for a range of alleged offenses, including fleeing their homes, having telephone conversations with members of the opposite sex, theft, adultery, and murder, according to the report.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have systematically reinstated public punishments, including floggings and executions, enforcing a strict interpretation of Sharia law. The group has carried out at least 11 public executions for murder across Afghanistan over the past four years.
These practices have drawn criticism from the UN, human rights organizations, and activists, who argue that such punishments violate international human rights standards and basic human dignity.
International rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have urged the Taliban to immediately halt the “criminal practice” of public flogging and all other forms of corporal punishment. They also criticized the Taliban’s justice system and practices, arguing that it lacks fair trials and that accused individuals have no access to legal representation.
The Taliban, however, asserts that it enforces Sharia law in Afghanistan, accusing other countries and organizations of either lacking sufficient understanding or having biases against Islam.