Date: 07/05/1447
A tazir (discretionary) criminal sentence was enforced against a convicted individual in Balkh Province: Based on the decision of the Urban Primary Court of Balkh Province, a tazir (discretionary) criminal punishment was enforced today, Wednesday, dated 7/5/1447 AH, against an individual convicted of transporting alcoholic beverages.

The Primary Court had sentenced the aforementioned offender to 39 lashes as a tazir punishment, a decision that was enforced following its confirmation by the High Authority of the Supreme Court.

The tazir punishment was carried out in the presence of Mufti Mohammad Wali (Haqqani), Head of the Urban Primary Court; the heads of the appellate and urban court departments; judicial members; administrative and service personnel; security guards of the courts’ security unit; as well as a large number of religious scholars, community representatives, members of the public, and visitors.

The session commenced with the recitation of several verses from the Holy Qur’an by Mufti Mohammad Zakaria (Ebrahimi), Mufti of the Civil Division (A) of the Urban Court. Subsequently, the Head of the Urban Primary Court spoke about the implementation and enforcement of Islamic rulings, the eradication and elimination of corruption, sedition, immorality, and acts contrary to Sharia from Islamic society. He expressed gratitude to Almighty God, stating that, praise be to Allah, an Islamic system is now governing the country and all divine laws are being implemented.
He further assured the public of the fairness of court rulings and called upon citizens and litigants to cooperate fully in order to eliminate bribery and administrative corruption.

He added that the judges of the courts are firmly and resolutely committed to upholding justice, and that the public should have no concern about judges being influenced by the circumstances or status of the parties to legal disputes.
Thereafter, Mawlawi Abdul Salam Mazhari, Head of the Public Security Division of the Appellate Court, delivered remarks on the Sharia-based analysis and assessment of the enforcement of taʿzīr, its worldly and hereafter wisdom, the categories of tazir punishments, and emphasized that the enforcement and execution of tazir is a religious obligation which rulers and judges implement in accordance with the commands of Sharia.

The gathering concluded with a prayer led by Sheikh Hidayat‑ul‑Haq (Al‑Nuʿmani), Head of the Civil Division of the Urban Court.

The public enforcement of corporal punishment against an individual in Balkh Province reflects the continued use of discretionary punishment by Taliban authorities to enforce moral conformity through physical violence. The imposition of 39 lashes for transporting alcoholic beverages, carried out following Supreme Court confirmation and accompanied by religious recitation and official speeches, underscores the performative and ideological framing of punishment as a tool of governance. Implemented through judicial processes lacking independence and meaningful safeguards, the punishment functions as an arbitrary and coercive practice that undermines bodily integrity, dignity, and personal autonomy, while normalizing public violence as an accepted instrument of rule.