Afghanistan: Taliban returns public punishments

Since taking over Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban has reintroduced policies that have become increasingly restrictive on Afghan women and girls. The insurgent group’s return to carrying out public punishments has indicated the group’s return to its hardline roots.

The Taliban have returned to carrying out public punishments such as flogging in recent weeks, according to Al Jazeera. The insurgent group has invited large crowds to gather at public stadiums and grounds to hold such punishments. One such incident took place Wednesday last week when a man in Farah province was executed.

“I estimate that up to 80 people have been whipped since we took over Afghanistan,” Afghan Supreme Court head of press relations Abdul Rahim Rashid told the outlet. “Men and women have been whipped for different crimes in Kabul, Logar, Laghman, Bamyan, Takhar, and some other provinces.”

The reports of public punishments surfaced in recent weeks, harkening back to when the insurgent group ruled Afghanistan with its hardline approach back in the 1990s. At the time, convicts were subject to stoning or were beheaded for their crimes.

The public punishments come amidst the group’s pledge to uphold women’s rights and freedoms since taking over Afghanistan last year. However, more than a year later, the Taliban’s leaders have since walked back on their pledges to do so, further imposing restrictive policies on women and girls, such as gender segregation at universities and public places. High schools for girls also remained closed, and a clampdown on the country’s media was implemented.

The United Nations human rights office condemned the execution in Farah – the first public execution by the Taliban since returning to power – describing the act as “disturbing” and called for a moratorium to be put in place for executions.

On Sunday, the Pakistani military said that at least six civilians were killed, with 17 others wounded by “unprovoked” firing from Afghan forces near the Chaman border separating the two countries. The shooting is the latest in flared tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, following the shooting that also took place at the border back in November and the attack at the Pakistani embassy in Kabul.