Child Rights Groups Urges Iran To Halt Afghan Migrant Deportation Plan

Among those punished was a woman who was lashed under Taliban court orders for the “crime of fleeing home.”

According to the court’s statement, Taliban officials flogged one man and three women in Balkh and Parwan provinces, accusing them of “moral corruption” and engaging in extramarital relations. Each reportedly received about 30 lashes.

In separate incidents, three individuals including one woman were publicly flogged in Badakhshan and Laghman provinces on charges of “alcohol sales and fleeing home,” also receiving 30 lashes each.

Despite repeated international appeals urging the Taliban to halt public corporal punishment of both men and women, the group continues to administer lashings across various provinces for a range of alleged offences.

Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, expressed grave concern on Monday over the Taliban’s increasing use of corporal punishment. He called the practice a violation of international law and urged an immediate end to it.

Citing figures from the Taliban’s Supreme Court, Bennett reported that the group had flogged at least 63 men and four women across several provinces in the past week alone.

The victim, Sayed Qiyamuddin, was a resident of Yamgan district in Badakhshan and a member of the Ismaili community.

Sources said Qiyamuddin was killed at his workplace in the eastern city of Jalalabad. A photograph said to show his body revealed extensive bruising to his face and torso.

The identity of the perpetrators and the motive behind the killing remain unknown.

It was also reported that Qiyamuddin’s brother who had also worked for the WHO died a few months ago, allegedly as a result of an earlier attack.

The individuals were arrested on Sunday evening in Anaba district after Taliban fighters reportedly grew suspicious of their gathering in one location.

Sources said the detainees were initially taken to a military unit before being transferred to a prison.

Taliban officials informed the detainees’ families that their relatives would be released following the completion of investigations.

Since retaking power in 2021, the Taliban have tightened security in Panjshir, long viewed as a centre of anti-Taliban resistance. The province was the base of the National Resistance Front, led by Ahmad Massoud, which opposed Taliban rule after the fall of the former government.

As part of its heightened security measures, the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior announced on Monday that surveillance cameras had been installed across several parts of Panjshir. The ministry said the move was intended to “ensure better security and public safety.”

Those punished faced charges of extramarital sexual relations, murder and theft. Some were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to 10 years, according to statements issued by the Taliban’s Supreme Court.

The floggings were carried out in the Forza district of Kabul, Ruyi Du Ab district of Samangan and the Tanai and Sabari districts of Khost province. The sentences were implemented in public and in the presence of Taliban officials.

In Kabul, two men convicted of engaging in sexual relations were each sentenced to 20 lashes and one year in prison, the court said.

In Samangan, a man and a woman were flogged on charges of “extramarital sexual relations.”

Seven individuals in Khost province were sentenced to between 35 and 39 lashes and prison terms ranging from three months to 10 years on charges including extramarital sex, murder and theft, the court said.

The Taliban did not release the names of those punished or provide details of the judicial process used in these cases.

Over the past week, Taliban courts in Kunar, Takhar, Kabul, Kunduz, Sar-e-Pul, Ghazni, Paktia and Laghman provinces have flogged more than 40 men and women on similar charges.

In the Qala-e-Zal district of Kunduz, two people including a woman were publicly flogged after being convicted of engaging in extramarital sexual relations. Meanwhile, in the capital, Kabul, three individuals were subjected to public floggings after being accused of selling alcoholic beverages and narcotics.

The Taliban’s Supreme Court stated that the individuals in Kunduz were also sentenced to three years in prison. The three individuals in Kabul received prison sentences ranging from one to two years. No further details were provided regarding the identities of the accused or the legal procedures involved in their convictions.

Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have resumed public punishments, including floggings and executions, under what they claim to be the enforcement of Islamic Sharia law.

These actions have drawn widespread condemnation from international human rights organisations, which have repeatedly criticised the group for violating due process and engaging in cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.

Despite global outrage, the Taliban continue to implement harsh punishments, raising serious concerns about the state of human rights and judicial transparency in Afghanistan.