Taliban Court Sentences Couple to Public Flogging and Imprisonment for “Moral Crimes”

Kokcha News Agency: On Wednesday, the Taliban’s Supreme Court announced that a man and a woman were publicly punished in Laghman province for “fleeing home and moral corruption.” The court stated that the individuals were sentenced to seven years in prison and 39 lashes each. The verdict was initially issued by a local court in Alingar district and later confirmed by the Taliban’s Supreme Court chief.

Since retaking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban has publicly punished hundreds of people for various alleged crimes. While the Taliban carries out these punishments in public, they have banned any recording, filming, or broadcasting of the events. Taliban forces confiscate phones and cameras from people before they enter sports stadiums, which have now become venues for these punishments.

This type of public punishment has been met with severe criticism from human rights organizations and the United Nations, which argue that such practices violate human dignity and international human rights standards.