Taliban holds mass flogging for 63 people at sport stadium

Saturday, June 8, 2024 - The Taliban held a horror mass flogging for 63 people at a sports stadium for offences ranging from 'fleeing from home' to 'disrespect'.

The shocking event was held on Tuesday, June 4, in Sar-e-Pul, northern Afghanistan, and saw 48 men and 15 women lashed between 15 to 39 times.

Some victims were also reported to have received prison sentences lasting between six months and five years for their crimes.

According to Voice of America, the group was the largest known since 2021 to receive public floggings in a Taliban event.

Local media reported that locals shockingly approved of the lashings, with one resident telling Tolo News: 'Young people will learn a lesson from the crimes they committed, and this will result in a decrease in crime and criminal activities'.

It also added that according to Sar-e-Pul officials, the individuals who received the harsh and brutal punishment were arrested by security forces for committing crimes including 'fleeing from home, armed robbery, adultery, sodomy, and disrespect'.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which has attempted to maintain relations with the Taliban, condemned the event on Wednesday, along with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR).

'We are deeply disturbed by the widespread, continued use of corporal punishment in Afghanistan,' UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said in a statement.

'Corporal punishment is a clear violation of international human rights law.

'Afghanistan is party to both the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,' the statement continued.

'Under international law, all people have the right to be treated with respect for their inherent human dignity and equality.

'We again urge the de facto authorities to immediately cease all forms of corporal punishment.

'Furthermore, we call on the de facto authorities [the Taliban] to ensure full respect for due process and fair trial rights, in particular access to legal representation, for anyone facing criminal charges.'