Taliban Publicly Flog 17 People In Kunar Province
The Taliban Supreme Court said 17 people were publicly flogged in Kunar province after being convicted on charges including drug use and same-sex relations between men.
The Taliban Supreme Court said 17 people were publicly flogged in Kunar province after being convicted on charges including drug use and same-sex relations between men.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the court said the individuals received between 10 and 39 lashes and were also sentenced to one to two years in prison.
Human rights groups and international organisations have repeatedly condemned public corporal punishment and the torture of detainees as violations of human dignity and international law, calling for an end to such practices. The Taliban have rejected the criticism, saying they are enforcing what they describe as Islamic sharia.
In the absence of recognised judicial institutions and due process safeguards, the Taliban routinely announce the imposition of corporal punishments. Rights groups say the Taliban’s judicial system falls short of international standards and that defendants are denied basic guarantees, including access to legal counsel.
A recent report by the United Nations said that between August 1 and October 31 the Taliban flogged at least 215 people including 44 women and 171 men across Afghanistan.
At the same time, the head of the Taliban court’s criminal division in Kunar claimed that “no injustice or abuse is committed against prisoners.”
The statement contrasts with findings previously reported by Afghanistan International, which said an investigative report documented at least 31 methods of torture used in detention facilities run by the Taliban’s intelligence directorates in Kabul and other provinces. Alleged abuses include electric shocks, the removal of fingernails, attaching heavy objects to genitals and suspending detainees by their hands and feet.
