A Taliban court in Faryab province has sentenced two individuals to 39 lashes and more than two years in prison on charges related to the production, transportation, and sale of alcohol and narcotics.
The sentences were carried out publicly on Sunday in front of a large crowd, according to local Taliban officials.
The public punishments come amid a broader campaign of corporal sentencing by the Taliban, which has drawn widespread international condemnation for its lack of due process and judicial transparency.
A day earlier, the Taliban judiciary announced that 13 people — including three women — were sentenced in the provinces of Jowzjan and Khost to prison terms ranging from two to five years, along with 35 to 39 lashes administered in public.
According to Taliban authorities, the charges in those cases included “illicit relationships, bribery, insulting religious sanctities, and spreading false news.”
Human rights organisations and international bodies continue to express concern over the Taliban’s justice system, which operates without an independent judiciary, legal safeguards, or defence representation for the accused.
The latest incidents follow last week’s public execution of four individuals by Taliban authorities, underscoring the group’s ongoing use of harsh and controversial punishments under its interpretation of Islamic law.
