Taliban whip four people in public in Bamyan and Wardak

On Saturday, September 7, the Taliban's Supreme Court publicly flogged four individuals in the provinces of Bamyan and Maidan Wardak. According to separate statements released by the court, the punishments were carried out for offenses including "running away from home" and "lawat" (a term the Taliban uses for same-sex relations).

In Bamyan’s Yakawalang district, two individuals were each sentenced to 39 lashes in public and a year in prison for fleeing their homes. Similarly, in Maidan Wardak’s Chek district, two men were publicly flogged with 39 lashes and sentenced to two years in prison for  sodomy "lawat."

The Taliban did not disclose the identities of those punished in their official statements.

Despite ongoing criticism from human rights organizations regarding the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment, the group has continued and even escalated public floggings. Rights groups have condemned such acts as violations of human dignity and called for an end to these practices, but the Taliban remains defiant in enforcing its interpretation of Sharia law.