Taliban Publicly Flogged Nearly 590 Individuals in 2024

Statistics from the Taliban’s Supreme Court and statements from officials across Afghanistan indicate that the group publicly flogged 583 people and executed six individuals during 2024.

The Taliban have repurposed Afghanistan’s sports stadiums—once venues for cricket, football, and cultural events—into spaces for public punishments. Nearly every day, men and women accused of various crimes face public floggings or beatings before onlookers in different provinces. Many of these punishments are carried out collectively.

One victim, Zarghona Zendagi, a resident of Behsud District in Nangarhar, shared her harrowing experience of being publicly flogged about 18 months ago for an alleged “illicit relationship,” an accusation she vehemently denies. The emotional scars of the event continue to affect her profoundly.

Zarghona stated: “What hurts the most is being arrested, flogged, and humiliated in front of my family and community without any crime or wrongdoing.”

She described how her ordeal began: “My mother was seriously ill and hospitalised. With no male family member to help, I had to manage everything myself. A hospital staff member assisted me in caring for her, and that’s how we became acquainted.”

She recounted being arrested by the Taliban after running into the same hospital staff member in the city, where he inquired about her mother’s health. Accused of an “illicit relationship,” she faced a swift trial, resulting in public flogging and a forced marriage to the man with whom she had only exchanged greetings. Zarghona revealed that this forced marriage brought no solace; instead, she continues to endure disdain and humiliation from her husband’s family and her community.

Zarghona is among many Afghans who have faced such punishments, which are widely condemned as torture under international conventions. Over three years into the Taliban’s rule, public floggings and executions remain a near-daily occurrence across Afghanistan.

A Year of Brutal Punishments

According to data from the Taliban’s Supreme Court and media reports, 583 individuals were publicly flogged and six were executed in 2024 alone. A voice recording attributed to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, released on 24 March 2024, ordered the enforcement of public punishments to uphold Sharia law.

In the first half of 2024, the Taliban publicly flogged approximately 250 individuals. The first recorded punishment occurred on 22 December 2022 at the central football stadium in Tirin Kot, Uruzgan, where 22 people, including two women, were whipped for various alleged crimes.

Reports from the United Nations and the Taliban governor’s media office in Sar-e-Pul show that 39 individuals were flogged in January and February 2024. A further 210 were flogged between March and June. The remaining 334 floggings took place in the latter half of the year.

Taliban court documents reveal that in July 2024, 44 people were publicly flogged. Between August and October, 161 individuals faced similar punishments, followed by 81 in November and 46 in December. The charges ranged from extramarital relationships, theft, and fraud to “immorality” and running away from home.

Floggings occurred across multiple provinces:

January and February 2024: One person in Paktika, four in Helmand, 11 in Maidan Wardak, eight in Herat, four in Laghman, two in Sar-e-Pul, and 13 in Bamiyan.

June 2024: A total of 147 individuals were flogged, including 63 (14 women) in Sar-e-Pul’s central stadium for charges of immorality, theft, and illicit relationships.

July 2024: Floggings continued in provinces such as Ghazni, Bamiyan, Kandahar, Paktika, Uruzgan, Badghis, Panjshir, Parwan, and Kunar.

August–October 2024: 161 individuals were publicly punished in various regions, including 42 in Khost, 19 in Kabul, and others in Faryab, Takhar, and Herat.

November–December 2024: Public floggings continued in provinces like Paktia, Khost, Balkh, Samangan, and Kabul.

Taliban Justifications and Global Condemnation

The Taliban assert that public punishments are mandated by Sharia law and serve as a deterrent to prevent crime. Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has ordered their implementation as part of the group’s governance strategy.

However, human rights organisations and the international community widely condemn these actions as gross violations of human rights. The United Nations, Amnesty International, and other groups have repeatedly called on the Taliban to cease public punishments and respect human rights principles.

On 21 May 2024, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, condemned the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment, urging its immediate cessation.

Nazifa Jalali, a member of the Committee for Documenting Human Rights Violations, criticised the silence of international organisations and Islamic countries over the Taliban’s abuses. She accused these nations of prioritising their political and economic interests, citing China’s silence as an example of trade-driven indifference.