ISLAMABAD: Taliban courts sentenced three women to flogging across two northern Afghan provinces over the weekend, with prison sentences of up to five years handed down on charges including “illicit relations,” according to an official statement from the interim government’s Supreme Court.

The punishments were carried out in Balkh and Jowzjan provinces. These are part of a broader series of rulings implemented across three northern provinces following approval by the regime’s Supreme Court.

In Balkh’s Zari district, a woman was sentenced to five years in prison and 35 lashes on Sunday after being convicted of “illicit relations.” The ruling was issued by a primary court and enforced after review by higher judicial authorities.

In Jowzjan’s Qosh Tapeh district, six people, including two women, were convicted on charges including illicit relations, insulting officials, and adultery.

According to the court statement, the sentences ranged from six months to two years in prison, along with floggings of 20 to 39 lashes.

A separate case in Faryab province’s Shirin Tagab district involved three people, including one woman. They were sentenced to one year in prison for what authorities described as “maintaining illegal relationships.”

The court also imposed additional “punitive measures.”

Local media reports said the punishments were carried out in public, attended by members of the judiciary and religious scholars. Civilian and military officials, along with large gatherings of residents, also witnessed the punishments.

Taliban authorities say such rulings are intended to enforce legal and moral codes.

The latest cases come amid a broader pattern of public punishments under Taliban rule.

According to recent reporting and United Nations monitoring, corporal punishments, including floggings, have continued across multiple provinces. This has raised concerns about due process, transparency, and the protection of fundamental rights.

Human rights observers say the use of public punishments, particularly against women, reflects a wider tightening of restrictions and enforcement of “morality-based” laws across Afghanistan.

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Taliban courts sentence three women to public flogging across Afghanistan