Continued corporal punishment by the Taliban; men whipped in Kabul
In the latest round of corporal punishment, Taliban officials said they had whipped 25 men for drug and alcohol-related offenses in Kabul.
According to an official statement issued by the Taliban Supreme Court on Saturday, the men were arrested for “selling alcohol, drugs including hashish, glass and narcotic pills” and then whipped by a court order.
According to the report, the accused were sentenced to between 10 and 39 lashes and prison sentences ranging from seven months to one year and six months.
This is not the only recent event in this regard. Last week, the Taliban publicly whipped at least 10 others, including several women, in Parwan, Faryab and Badakhshan provinces.
The Taliban’s public execution of punishments such as whipping and execution has drawn widespread international reactions. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his latest quarterly report that the Taliban had publicly executed four people in just one case, on April 11, 2025.
Despite repeated criticism from human rights groups, the Taliban say the sentences are based on their interpretation of Islamic Sharia and are part of the group’s official judicial system.
