At least 60 people have been flogged across Afghanistan over the past week on various charges, according to a statement from the Taliban Supreme Court. Courts in several provinces also handed down prison sentences alongside public floggings.
The court said those punished were accused of theft and what it described as moral offences.
Despite repeated calls from international and human rights organisations to abolish corporal punishment and uphold human dignity, the Taliban have continued to carry out public floggings.
Taliban authorities say flogging is part of their interpretation of Islamic law within the judicial system.
The development comes as the Taliban’s new penal code outlines different punishments based on an individual’s social status. Under the code, if a religious scholar commits an offence, the response is limited to advice.
By contrast, the same offence committed by someone described as middle class is punishable by imprisonment, while those from lower social classes may face prison sentences as well as corporal punishment.
