Date: 12/06/1446

Implementation of Discretionary Criminal Sentences for Three Offenders in Samangan Province
In accordance with the ruling of the Primary Courts of Khuram and Sarbagh districts in Samangan Province, discretionary criminal sentences were publicly executed on three individuals, including one woman, who were convicted of fleeing from home and engaging in illicit relationships. The sentences were carried out on the 12th of Jumada al-Thani, 1446 AH, in a public gathering.
The Primary Courts sentenced one of the offenders to ten months of imprisonment, the second to two years of imprisonment along with 39 lashes as discretionary punishment, and the third to 39 lashes. These rulings were implemented after being approved by the Supreme Court.
The gathering held for this purpose was attended by officials from the Primary Courts, other government departments, court clients, and members of the general public.

The public imprisonment and flogging of three individuals, including one woman, in Samangan Province reflects the continued use of discretionary punishment by Taliban authorities to regulate personal behavior and enforce moral conformity. The execution of custodial sentences and corporal punishment in a public gathering, following Supreme Court approval, underscores the performative role of punishment in reinforcing social control. Convictions for “fleeing from home” and “engaging in illicit relationships” rely on vague and gendered moral offenses that intrude into private life and disproportionately affect women. Implemented through judicial processes lacking independence and meaningful safeguards, the punishments function as arbitrary and coercive practices that undermine personal autonomy, liberty, dignity, and gender equality, while normalizing physical violence as a tool of governance.