Taliban Whips 27 People in Two Days

The Taliban's Supreme Court announced the continuation of corporal punishment for offenders in various provinces of Afghanistan, stating that in two days, 27 individuals, including several women, were whipped in public. This Taliban body announced on Tuesday evening, February 30, that these individuals were detained on various charges, including 'running away from home, theft, homosexuality, and murder,' and their punitive measures were carried out in the provinces of Faryab, Bamyan, Nimroz, Takhar, Ghazni, and Khost. According to the provided information, over two days, 11 people were whipped in Nimroz, five in Ghazni, three in Faryab, four in Takhar, three in Khost, and one more in Bamyan. The Taliban stated that four of these individuals were women punished for 'running away from home.' The Taliban's Supreme Court added that the number of lashes for these individuals ranged from 20 to 39. This body emphasized that many of the accused, in addition to corporal punishment, were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from six months to six years. In recent weeks, the Taliban have increased corporal punishment for offenders in many provinces. Since the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, hundreds of citizens, including women, have been whipped in stadiums in front of thousands for various charges, including 'moral crimes.' The Taliban's Supreme Court has also executed six men in public for 'murder.' In the latest case, on November 23, the Taliban's Supreme Court announced that following the court's ruling and the confirmation of Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group's leader, one person was executed in public in Paktia province. Despite repeated condemnations from the United Nations, which described these executions as 'contrary to the fundamental right to life' and 'a form of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment,' the Taliban continue to carry out these punishments. The Taliban have barred women from studying medical sciences; the U.S. has called this unjust. The U.S. Special Representative for Women in Afghanistan stated that our patience with the Taliban is running out. Afghan women protested against the Taliban's law: 'My voice is not that of a woman.' The United Nations criticized the Taliban's 'moral law' that makes women's voices in Afghanistan illegal.