KABUL: The first floggings by Afghan courts since the Taliban’s takeover of power have been given out on Wednesday when seven men were flogged for offences including selling and drinking alcohol.
The lashings served as a chilling reminder of the brutality of the Taliban’s previous administration, which lasted from 1996 to 2001.
The Supreme Court said in a statement that the seven defendants had confessed to their crimes and were sentenced to 35 lashes apiece.
Abdul Basir Mashal, a Supreme Court official, confirmed to AFP that the penalty had been carried out in the capital today.
“It is the first time since the establishment of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan that a court has issued such an order under sharia law,” he stated.
According to unverified social media posts, Taliban forces have been publicly whipping prisoners since they took control of the government.
According to a court document, the seven males had been accused in different cases of offences like selling and drinking alcohol and auto theft.
They jailed five others for a total of six months.
It was during the Taliban’s first tenure in office that they became known for their harsh interpretation of Sharia law, which punished even minor offences with public floggings and deaths.
The regime’s dreaded religious police subjected those who flouted the regulations to public humiliation and beatings.
Besides public executions and the chopping off of criminals’ hands and feet, the Taliban also stoned women who were suspected of adultery.
In taking power last year, they promised a more moderate version of their prior reign while insisting sharia law would govern it.
Taliban rule in Afghanistan has restricted women’s rights over the past eight months, reversing decades of progress made by the previous Western-backed administration.
The Taliban’s stringent interpretation of the Koran requires women to wear modestly or else they will be barred from holding most government positions.
Unless accompanied by a “mahram,” or adult male relative, they have also been told to not board planes.
Works at The Truth International Magazine. My area of interest includes international relations, peace & conflict studies, qualitative & quantitative research in social sciences, and world politics. Reach@ [email protected]
