The United Nations (UN) released a report criticizing the Taliban for its displays of public corporal punishment, including public executions, lashings, and stonings.
The UN found that 334 people were flogged in the last six months for a variety of offenses such as “running away from home,” alcohol consumption, and others.
“Corporal punishment, in addition to being a violation of international human rights law, has the potential to inflict serious physical and mental harm on those who are subject to it,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) report stated.
Reporting from The Hill:
The report also highlights that women who are publicly punished for their crimes, including moral crimes, may be “at increased risk of violence from their families and communities after the punishment, due to extreme levels of stigma towards women,” particularly those who are accused of extramarital relationships. UNAMA called on Afghanistan’s leaders to limit the use of capital punishment to “only the ‘most serious crimes’” and never against children younger than 18, pregnant women or people with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities.
