Taliban Publicly Flogs Three in Khost and Paktia

In the report, released Tuesday, the State Department said respect for the rights of women and girls had sharply declined over the past year. It stressed that the Taliban’s “morality” law imposes sweeping limits on the personal lives of all Afghans, particularly women and girls.

The report also cites extrajudicial and unlawful killings, stating that the Taliban and Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) have carried out multiple targeted killings. Reliable information indicates that Taliban security forces arbitrarily killed civilians in Panjshir, Kunduz, Kabul, Nimruz, Ghazni, Khost, Jowzjan, Faryab, Takhar, Sar-e Pul and Herat provinces.

According to the State Department, these killings occurred in areas where the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan operates, with some victims being former military personnel and government employees. The Taliban, it said, have neither acknowledged responsibility for such killings nor established accountability mechanisms.

On press freedom, the report said the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on the media, threatening, arresting and abusing journalists. More than 180 violations of press freedom were recorded over the past year, alongside widespread censorship and restrictions on internet access.

The report also documents the use of torture and corporal punishment, noting that the Taliban have conducted public lashings, beatings and executions without due process. Citing UNAMA figures, it said that in 2023 more than 360 instances of corporal punishment were recorded, affecting both men and women.

Contrary to official statements, the Taliban have recruited and trained children for their armed forces. In 2023, more than 340 children were used, some in combat roles and others in support positions. In Badakhshan province, about 30 boys aged 10 to 18 were reportedly undergoing training at a military facility.

The report further highlights arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances, with detainees often denied access to lawyers, family contact and judicial proceedings. Women’s rights activists, journalists and critics of the Taliban are among those most affected.

On refugee protection, it said the Taliban have provided only limited assistance to returnees while creating obstacles for international organisations working to register and support internally displaced persons. Taliban morality police have reportedly been stationed at border crossings to enforce strict rules on returnees.

The State Department concluded that the Taliban show no commitment to respecting international human rights law and frequently disregard existing laws. It called on the international community to closely monitor the situation in Afghanistan and take effective action to protect the rights of its people, particularly women and children.

Speaking to Afghanistan International on Tuesday, Samar said 15 August 2021 was “the darkest day” for the people of Afghanistan and for herself personally. She praised the resilience of Afghan women, noting that despite severe restrictions and pressure, many continue to stand firm.

Samar expressed hope that women’s resistance will persist, emphasising that the struggle is not solely a women’s issue but one that affects the fate of 40 million people, particularly children.

She sharply criticised pro-Taliban lobbying, accusing such efforts of attempting to mislead the public into believing the group had changed. The past four years, she said, have proved otherwise, with the Taliban continuing policies such as closing both girls’ and boys’ schools in areas under their control, practices dating back two decades.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 and have since imposed sweeping restrictions, particularly on women and girls, depriving them of basic rights including education, employment, and freedom of movement.

In a statement issued on 11 August, the UN said the Taliban have introduced a series of measures limiting the rights of women and girls, with “devastating” consequences. It reported that more than 78 percent of Afghan women are neither in education nor employed, making it increasingly difficult for them to find work.

The UN warned that this exclusion means nearly half of Afghanistan’s potential workforce is making no significant contribution to the economy, compounding the crisis in a country already facing economic collapse.

Due to women’s restricted access to healthcare, maternal mortality is projected to rise by 50 percent by 2026, the UN said, attributing the increase largely to the Taliban’s discriminatory policies.

It also reported an increase in child marriage and growing levels of violence against women, both at home and in public.

Afghan women have not only been excluded from public life but, according to the UN, 62 percent say they have no role in decision-making even within their own households.

In a statement on 11 August, ministry spokespersons said the man, identified as Jamshid, a resident of Balkh, was tracked down and detained by morality police.

Obaidullah Haqqani, head of the ministry’s directorate in Balkh, alleged that the suspect had made “contradictory remarks on social media about the existence of God and the Battle of Uhud, which hurt people’s religious sentiments.”

The case has been referred to Taliban courts for “Sharia-based” proceedings, according to the ministry.

The Taliban have previously detained multiple people on similar charges. In the most recent case, a teacher in Paktika province was arrested for allegedly “insulting the Prophet of Islam” and later sentenced to death by a Taliban court.

In its weekly report released Saturday, the court said the latest floggings took place in Maidan Wardak, Kabul, Zabul, Kapisa, Baghlan and Kunduz provinces. It did not provide details about the identities of those punished or the specific charges against them.

Separate court statements earlier in the week said 14 people, including one woman, were publicly punished in Kabul and Zabul on charges of selling and trafficking alcohol, narcotic pills and engaging in extramarital relationships.

The Taliban also said 10 people were flogged in Kabul and Maidan Wardak for theft and drug offences, while eight others were punished in Kabul and Kapisa for narcotics trafficking.

According to the Supreme Court’s figures, 81 people have been publicly flogged across Afghanistan over the past month.

Despite condemnation from international human rights organisations, which classify corporal punishment as torture, the Taliban continues to carry out public floggings, saying they are in accordance with its interpretation of Islam.