The Taliban has publicly whipped 39 individuals, including eight women, across nine provinces in the past week for alleged crimes, according to the group’s Supreme Court.
On February 22, a woman was whipped with 15 lashes in Herat province for sex outside of marriage and sentenced to six months in prison.
The following day, on February 23, an individual in Darqad district, Takhar province, received 39 lashes and a five-year prison sentence.
On February 24, 20 people, including five women, were whipped with 39 lashes each and sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to seven years for charges of sodomy and sex outside of marriage in Khost and Parwan provinces.
On February 25, three individuals, including one woman, were whipped with 39 lashes each in Bamyan province, with prison terms ranging from six months to one year.
On February 26, 13 people, including one woman, were whipped with 39 lashes for charges such as sex outside of marriage, running away from home, sodomy, and other crimes in Herat, Sar-e Pol, Laghman, and Nangarhar provinces. They were sentenced to two years in prison.
Finally, on February 27, an individual in Samangan province received 39 lashes for theft and was sentenced to one year in prison.
Human rights organizations have condemned the Taliban’s corporal punishment, however, they have said they implement Islamic Sharia and asked not to interfere in their internal affairs.
