Continuation of Corporal Punishments by the Taliban: Flogging of a Woman and a Man in Sar-e Pol

On Monday (April 7), the court released a statement saying that the two individuals had been sentenced to three months in prison and 10 lashes. After final approval of the verdict, the punishment was carried out in front of the public.

This move comes as reports indicate that Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s leader, has recently urged his cabinet members during Eid al-Fitr meetings to increase the implementation of “Sharia punishments,” especially in public. The Taliban claim that such actions aim to fully enforce the law of “propagation of virtue, prevention of vice.”

It is worth noting that since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, they have repeatedly carried out corporal punishments in public and have executed six individuals in front of hundreds of spectators. International human rights organizations consider these actions as violations of human rights principles and international law.