Date: 19/05/1446

Implementation of Discretionary Criminal Punishment Against Two Offenders in Khost Province
In accordance with the ruling of the Primary Court of Nadershah Kot District, Khost Province, dated 19/5/1446 Hijri, discretionary criminal punishment was carried out at the court premises against two individuals, including one woman, convicted of moral corruption.
The Primary Court had sentenced both offenders to 39 lashes each as discretionary punishment. This ruling was implemented following its approval by the Supreme Court.
The sentence was executed in the presence of judicial personnel, civil and military staff, and a number of local residents of the district.
The session concluded with a prayer for well-being following the implementation of the punishment.

The public flogging of two individuals, including a woman, in Khost Province reflects the continued use of corporal punishment by Taliban authorities as a means of moral enforcement and social control. The execution of 39 lashes at court premises, following centralized approval and in the presence of officials and local residents, reinforces the normalization of physical violence within everyday governance. The charge of “moral corruption” is vague and gendered, enabling broad criminalization of private conduct and disproportionately exposing women to punishment. Carried out through judicial processes lacking independence and meaningful safeguards, the punishment functions as an arbitrary and coercive practice that undermines personal autonomy, liberty, and gender equality, while amounting to treatment that international standards prohibit.