Date: 26/04/1404
The Taliban’s court publicly flogged 18 individuals, including five women, in Sar-e-Pul Province.
According to reports, the Taliban in Gosfandi district of Sar-e-Pul Province flogged 18 people, including five women, on charges of “gambling, premeditated murder, telephone contact,” and extramarital sexual relations. The Taliban’s Supreme Court sentenced these individuals to prison terms ranging from six months to two years and carried out public flogging as part of their punishment.
On Thursday, July 17, the Taliban’s Supreme Court stated in a press release that the flogging took place in the courtyard of the appellate court in the presence of local officials, visitors, court staff, military personnel, and members of the public.
The statement added that the punishment was implemented after approval by the Taliban’s Supreme Court. The court did not provide any clarification regarding the judicial process or whether the individuals had access to legal counsel.
Despite repeated calls from international organizations to halt public punishments and the torture of detainees, the Taliban continues to carry out public floggings. The group claims that flogging individuals in public is the enforcement of “Islamic Sharia law.”

This case reflects the routine use of public corporal punishment by Taliban courts, combining imprisonment with flogging as a tool of judicial enforcement and public deterrence. The staging of the punishment in a court courtyard, with officials and members of the public present, underscores the performative and exemplary function of such acts. The absence of information regarding legal representation or procedural safeguards is consistent with broader patterns of opaque judicial processes and arbitrary punishment