Taliban Publicly Flogs 14 People In Khost & Kabul On Various Charges

The Taliban's Supreme Court announced on Thursday that it had sentenced eight people in Khost and six people, including two women, in Kabul to flogging.

The Taliban's Supreme Court wrote that it had punished these individuals on charges of sexual relations, forgery of documents, and bribery in public.

The Taliban's Supreme Court on Thursday, October 18, announced in separate statements the punishment of 14 people in Kabul and Khost province, writing that it had sentenced each of the seven individuals in Khost province with 35 lashes in public and sentenced each of them to one year in prison. The court said that it sentenced the eighth individual to 39 lashes and two years in prison.

The Taliban's Supreme Court earlier said that it had flogged six people, including two women, in Deh Sabz in Kabul on charges of extramarital affairs and same-sex relations. The court added that it sentenced the individuals to 39 lashes and to prison terms ranging from one year to one year and three months.

Despite the objections of international human rights organisations, the Taliban has continued to inflict corporal punishment and torture on defendants in public. The group's Supreme Court reports daily on public punishment of defendants across Afghanistan.

International human rights organisations have complained about the trial process of individuals by Taliban courts, criticising the defendants' lack of access to a lawyer and a fair trial.