Twenty-seven people were whipped in public on Thursday in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan in punishment for alleged adultery, theft, drug offenses and other crimes, according to a court official.
The new Afghan authorities have implemented hardline policies since taking control of the country in August 2021 that have underlined their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia.
The country’s Supreme Court issued the final rulings after the appeals. In a statement, the court said the floggings took place in the northern province of Parwan, with 18 men and nine women punished in all.
Abdul Rahim Rashid, a court official, said the men and women were each whipped 25 to 39 times. An unknown number of those punished also received two-year prison sentences in Charakar, the provincial capital, he added.
WHAT IS THE AFGHAN ADJUSTMENT ACT AND HOW COULD IT HELP AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN ALLIES?
The whippings were carried out before a “public gathering of locals and officials,” Rashid added.
Provincial officials and local residents watched the public punishments, during which officials spoke about the importance of Sharia law, the court statement added.
Thursday’s lashes come a day after Taliban authorities executed an Afghan man convicted of killing another man, the first public execution since the former rebels returned to power last year.
Taliban security personnel stand guard before the public flogging of women and men in Charikar town, Parwan province, Dec. 8, 2022. The Taliban flogged 27 Afghans, including women, on Thursday in front of a large crowd.
(AFP via Getty Images))
The execution, carried out with an assault rifle by the victim’s father, took place in the western province of Farah in front of hundreds of spectators and many senior Taliban officials, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, the top government spokesman. Some officials have arrived from the capital Kabul.
AFGHAN WOMEN SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH IRANIAN PROTESTANTS, FACE HARSH TALIBAN REPRESSION
The execution was met with international criticism. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “the death penalty cannot be reconciled with full respect for the right to life,” spokeswoman Stephanie Tremblay said.
In comments on Wednesday, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States condemned the public execution. Price said the Taliban’s future relationship with Washington hinged “largely on their actions when it comes to human rights.”
No foreign state has officially recognized the Taliban government that took over when US and NATO troops withdrew last year. The Taliban ruled Afghanistan before the US invasion in 2001.
On Thursday, spokesman Mujahid rejected international criticism of the Taliban government.
“Unfortunately, a number of countries and institutions still lack adequate knowledge and understanding of Afghanistan,” he said.
Mujahid pointed out that capital punishment was practiced in many other countries, including the United States.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
A separate court statement said earlier this week, three men convicted of theft were whipped in public in the eastern province of Paktika.
During the previous Taliban rule in Afghanistan in the late 1990s, the group carried out public executions, floggings and stonings.
After invading Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban initially promised to allow for women’s and minority rights. Instead, they have limited rights and freedoms, including imposing a ban on girls’ education beyond the sixth grade.
The former insurgents have struggled in their transition from war to government amid an economic downturn and the withdrawal of aid from the international community.
