Taliban Publicly Flog Man & Woman In Ghazni For ‘Moral Corruption’
The Taliban have flogged a man and a woman in public in central Afghanistan after convicting them of “moral corruption,” the group’s Supreme Court said.
The Taliban have flogged a man and a woman in public in central Afghanistan after convicting them of “moral corruption,” the group’s Supreme Court said.
In a statement on Thursday, the court said a primary court in Jeghatu district of Ghazni province sentenced the pair to three months in prison and 30 lashes. The punishment, which had been approved by the Supreme Court, was carried out in front of local officials, court staff, visitors and residents.
Despite repeated criticism from Afghan citizens, human rights organisations and the international community, the Taliban continue to enforce public corporal punishments.
What the Taliban call ‘moral corruption’
The charge of “moral corruption” is frequently used against young men and women, often after arrests by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Under the ministry’s rules, any interaction between men and women outside marriage, including phone calls, conversations, attending weddings or other mixed gatherings, travelling without a male guardian, or women appearing in public without one, can be deemed a violation. Dress considered “inappropriate” by the Taliban may also lead to detention.
Rights groups say Taliban courts routinely deny defendants fair trial rights, including access to independent lawyers. Trials are closed to media, civil society and the public. Human rights monitors report that forced confessions and torture are common in detention centres, while punishments are often harsh and inconsistent with international standards.
