Date: 03/11/1403

Implementation of Discretionary Criminal Sentences for Two Accused Individuals in Parwan Province
In accordance with the ruling of the Primary Court of Bagram District in Parwan Province, discretionary criminal sentences were publicly executed on the 21st of Rajab, 1446 AH, against two individuals (one man and one woman) who were accused of committing adultery.
The Primary Court had sentenced both accused to eight months of imprisonment and 39 lashes each as discretionary punishment. These rulings were implemented after receiving approval from the Supreme Court, in the presence of respected Mawlawi Mir Agha (Zabihullah Khalid), Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, district officials, and local residents.

The public enforcement of imprisonment and corporal punishment against a man and a woman in Parwan Province reflects the continued use of discretionary punishment by Taliban authorities to police private relationships through public spectacle and coercion. The imposition of prison sentences and 39 lashes for accusations of “adultery,” carried out publicly following Supreme Court approval and attended by officials and residents, underscores the performative function of punishment as social control. Implemented through judicial processes lacking independence and meaningful safeguards, the punishment constitutes an arbitrary practice that intrudes into private and family life, undermines personal autonomy and liberty, and disproportionately impacts women.