Taliban Flog 36 People In Khost In A Single Day
The Taliban’s Supreme Court said Monday that at least 36 people were publicly flogged in Khost province in a single day.
The Taliban’s Supreme Court said Monday that at least 36 people were publicly flogged in Khost province in a single day.
According to a court statement, those punished received between 10 and 39 lashes and were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to two years. A primary court in Khost carried out the punishments in public on charges including the buying and selling of narcotics, extramarital relations and sexual relations between men.
On January 23, the Supreme Court said courts under its authority had flogged at least 31 people across the country over the previous week on various charges. Those punishments took place in Kabul, Faryab, Balkh, Nangarhar and Herat provinces.
The Taliban authorities have previously said that in 2025 they executed at least six people and flogged 1,118 others on various charges across Afghanistan.
The Taliban describes the flogging of individuals found guilty by its courts as the implementation of Islamic Sharia law.
Despite strong opposition from international organisations to corporal punishment and the mistreatment of detainees, the group has continued to carry out public floggings.
Human rights organisations say the Taliban’s judicial system falls short of international standards and that defendants are denied basic fair trial guarantees, including access to a defence lawyer.
The Taliban has also recently published a document titled “Penal Procedure Regulations of the Courts”, which sets out procedures based on the group’s strict interpretation of Islamic law.
The human rights organisation Rawadari says the Taliban have failed to fully criminalise the beating of children under their criminal courts’ code of procedure.
According to the organisation, Article 30 of the code prohibits only certain forms of physical violence that result in “bone fractures” or “tearing of the skin”.
The code does not explicitly ban other forms of physical, psychological or sexual violence against children. Article 48 states that a father may punish his 10-year-old son for actions such as neglecting prayers.
Taliban Code Recognises Slavery
Rawadari says the Taliban’s criminal code recognises slavery by repeatedly using the term “slave”. Articles 15 and 4 of the code refer to slavery and related rights.
Slavery is absolutely prohibited under international law in all its forms.
One provision states: “For any crime for which no fixed ‘hudud’ punishment is prescribed, discretionary punishment shall be imposed, whether the offender is free or a slave.”
Taliban Courts’ Code Prescribes Death for Opponents
According to the Taliban courts’ code, one copy of which has been obtained by Afghanistan International, the Taliban have issued death sentences for individuals described as “rebels”. The code states that the harm caused by a “rebel” is public in nature and cannot be remedied without killing.
This provision grants judicial bodies the authority to sentence opponents and critics to death. Article 4, Clause 6, allows citizens to personally punish individuals if they witness a “sin” being committed.
The code states: “Any Muslim who sees a person committing a sin has the right to punish them.”
Another provision says: “Anyone who witnesses or becomes aware of subversive meetings by opponents of the system but fails to inform the relevant authorities is considered a criminal and shall be sentenced to two years in prison.”
Under this article, all citizens are required to report the activities of Taliban opponents to authorities or face punishment themselves.
Rawadari says these measures violate international human rights standards, fundamental freedoms and the principles of fair trial.
Society Divided by Class
Rawadari says the Taliban code divides society into four classes: religious scholars, elites, the middle class and the lower class.
Under the code, the type and severity of punishment depend on a person’s social status
Citing the code, Rawadari said: “If a crime is committed by a religious scholar, only advice is given; for elites, summons and advice; for the middle class, imprisonment; and for the lower class, imprisonment plus corporal punishment.”
Dancing Criminalised
Article 59 of the Taliban criminal code criminalises “dancing” and “watching dance” without providing a clear definition.
Rawadari says this ambiguity enables arbitrary arrests and punishments, including for traditional and local dances.
The organisation added that by defining “rebels” as “agents of corruption”, the Taliban have given their institutions broad powers to arbitrarily punish or even kill opponents and critics without fair trials.
Under Article 13, the destruction of “places of immorality” is permitted without defining what constitutes “immorality”. Rawadari warned this could lead to the demolition of places such as barbershops and beauty salons and the arbitrary punishment of their owners.
According to Rawadari, the code also criminalises participation in “gatherings of immorality” without defining the term.
Religious Discrimination Institutionalised
Rawadari says the document institutionalises religious discrimination and violates citizens’ freedoms.
The Taliban recognise followers of the Hanafi school as Muslims and describe followers of other sects as “heretics”.
In a statement released on Wednesday, January 21, Rawadari said the Taliban criminal code was sent to provinces for implementation in judicial institutions after being signed by Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Article 8 of the code describes followers of sects and beliefs outside Sunni Islam as “innovators”, which Rawadari says is a clear violation of the principle of non-discrimination based on religion or belief.
Another article prescribes a two-year prison sentence for “mockery or ridicule of Islamic rulings”.
Under Article 26, followers of the Hanafi school are not permitted to abandon their sect, and if proven to have done so, they face a two-year prison sentence.
The code consists of three parts, 10 chapters and 119 articles. Rawadari said its content is in clear contradiction with international human rights standards and the fundamental principles of a fair trial.
The Taliban Supreme Court said it publicly flogged five people, including one woman, in Ghazni province on charges described as theft, “illicit relations” and “moral corruption”.
In separate statements issued on Wednesday, the court said the punishments were carried out in the districts of Jaghori and Deh Yak. The individuals received between 10 and 35 lashes and were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six months to one year.
According to the statements, the punishments were implemented by Taliban primary courts in Jaghori and Deh Yak after approval by the Supreme Court, and were carried out in the presence of local officials, court staff and visitors, security personnel and members of the public.
Over the past 10 days, the Taliban have publicly flogged at least 37 people across Afghanistan on various charges, according to official statements.
Despite repeated condemnation by international organisations of corporal punishment and the torture of detainees, the Taliban have continued to carry out public floggings. The group describes such punishments as the implementation of “Islamic sharia”.
The Taliban Supreme Court has previously said that in 2025 it executed at least six people and flogged 1,118 others. Human rights groups say the Taliban justice system lacks basic fair trial guarantees, including access to legal representation and independent courts.
The Taliban Supreme Court says more than 1,000 people were sentenced to prison by its military courts over a three-month period this year.
According to the court, 1,163 individuals were jailed in the last three months. Taliban military courts handle cases involving personnel serving in military roles within the Taliban administration.
The figures were published in a report by the security and executive directorate of the Taliban Supreme Court. The report did not specify the alleged crimes, charges, length of sentences, identities of those imprisoned or the locations where they are being held.
The report said Taliban military courts also issued thousands of summonses, with some individuals reportedly contacted by telephone and ordered to appear before Taliban military and judicial authorities.
Taliban military courts have jurisdiction over cases involving employees of the ministries of defence, interior and intelligence.
In previous years, Taliban courts have tried cases involving allegations such as kidnapping, document forgery, murder and abuse of authority. In many cases, however, the Taliban have released little information about defendants, their positions, judicial proceedings or the rulings issued.
China has opposed a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigative mechanism into human rights violations in Afghanistan.
The country’s representative argued that the measure overlooks progress made under Taliban rule and lacks balance.
Speaking in Geneva on Monday, China’s representative said the resolution ignored Afghanistan’s positive developments and failed to take an impartial approach. Beijing contended that creating a new investigative body runs counter to the Council’s reform goals of improving efficiency and was adopted without its consent.
The Chinese envoy said Afghanistan had taken various measures to promote stability, drive economic growth, and improve people’s livelihoods, and that such progress should be recognized and encouraged by the international community.
At the same time, he acknowledged that Afghanistan continues to face significant challenges, including a worsening humanitarian crisis, persistent terrorist threats, and restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights.
China’s representative expressed hope that the Taliban authorities would strengthen protections for women and other vulnerable groups while calling on the international community to engage constructively rather than impose external pressure.
The US State Department, in its latest annual Trafficking in Persons report, said child soldier recruitment, human trafficking and the practice of bacha bazi persist in Afghanistan, with the Taliban and other armed groups continuing to exploit children.
The report, released Monday, said the Taliban recruit children through coercion and deception, including false promises. It noted that groups such as ISIS-Khorasan and the National Resistance Front use child soldiers in direct combat, bomb-making, weapons transport, espionage and guarding bases.
According to the report, both the Taliban and ISIS-K forcibly use children for military purposes and imprison those linked to rival armed groups. Some of these children are also victims of human trafficking. The Taliban reportedly recruit boys from schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, sending them to madrassas for religious and military training. Local Taliban officials have falsified ages on identity documents to enlist underage boys
The report added that Taliban ministries and agencies under their control have taken no steps to prevent trafficking or other abuses. Instead, Taliban leaders encourage loyal families to send their sons to join the group. Armed factions in Afghanistan reportedly recruit child soldiers mostly from impoverished, rural and displaced populations.
The State Department said Taliban-run prisons often hold child trafficking victims alongside adults, exposing them to sexual abuse, forced labour and torture. Taliban police have also detained children accused of begging without investigating possible trafficking.
Bacha Bazi
The report highlighted the ongoing practice of bacha bazi, in which boys are sexually exploited by powerful men. Cases have been documented among Taliban officials and nearly all armed groups. Survivors said local commanders and elites are now the main perpetrators, though before the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, military commanders, police and government officials were also deeply involved.
Human Trafficking
The report noted that domestic trafficking in Afghanistan is more widespread than cross-border trafficking. Traffickers often indebt families, forcing women, children and men to work in industries such as brickmaking and carpet weaving. Some families, facing drug debts, sell children to traffickers, who then force them into labour or arrange marriages for underage girls.
The country’s economic collapse, climate disasters, forced deportations from neighbouring states and food insecurity have worsened vulnerability to trafficking. Many Afghans take on heavy debts to pay for migration routes through smugglers, further exposing them to exploitation.
Most trafficking victims in Afghanistan are children, forced into sectors including carpet weaving, brickmaking, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation (including bacha bazi), herding, farming, construction, poppy cultivation, salt mining, petty crime and drug trafficking.
Women and Girls
The Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls have dramatically increased their vulnerability to trafficking, child marriage and forced marriage. Widowed or female-headed households are particularly at risk. Victims of domestic violence, pushed back into unsafe family settings after the Taliban closed women’s shelters, face heightened risks.
The report also documented cases of Taliban detaining women, especially from minority groups, for not following their dress code. Some of those women later disappeared after detention.
Migrants and Refugees
Afghans seeking work abroad have been exploited by traffickers and abusive employers in Iran, Pakistan, Turkiye, the Gulf and Europe. Afghan women and girls “sold” in Afghanistan, Iran, India and Pakistan have been forced into sexual exploitation or domestic servitude by new husbands. Afghan men and boys have been subjected to forced labour in agriculture and construction, while migrant Afghan children in Europe have been abused in bacha bazi.
The report stressed that the Taliban’s return to power has heightened Afghans’ vulnerability to trafficking while simultaneously dismantling victim support networks.
Increased Vulnerability of Women and Girls
According to the report, Taliban restrictions on Afghan women and girls have sharply increased their vulnerability to trafficking, significantly heightening the risk of forced and underage marriages. Families headed by women especially widows are among the most at risk.
The report stated that women who were victims of domestic violence were forced to leave safe houses and return to their families after the Taliban’s return to power, a situation that has led to a rise in domestic abuse.
The State Department also said that the Taliban have detained women and girls from certain ethnic minority groups under the pretext of not adhering to the group’s dress code. According to the report, some women arrested for violating Taliban decrees subsequently disappeared.
The report added that members of ethnic and religious minorities including Hazara Shia, Ahmadi Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Bahais and Christians are increasingly at risk of exploitation due to threats and dangers from both the Taliban and other groups such as ISIS-Khorasan.
Exploitation of Afghan Migrants
The State Department report said some Afghan women and men pay intermediaries to help them find work in Iran, Pakistan and Europe. However, according to the report, some brokers and employers then force Afghans into labour or sex trafficking.
The report alleged that some Afghan women and girls sold in Afghanistan, India, Iran and Pakistan are exploited by their new husbands for purposes such as sex trafficking and domestic servitude.
It also noted that some women and girls have been forced into marriage as a means to escape Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
According to the report, Afghan boys and men are exploited in forced labour and debt bondage in agriculture and construction, mainly in Iran, Pakistan, Greece, Turkiye and the Gulf states.
The report further addressed the abuse and mistreatment of Afghan migrants in Iran, stating that smuggling networks transport Afghan migrants residing in Iran to Europe and then coerce them into sex trafficking or forced labour in restaurants to pay off smuggling-related debts. The report also said some Afghan traffickers exploit Afghan boys in Germany, Hungary, North Macedonia and Serbia for bacha bazi.
