Taliban publicly lash 27 for adultery, theft

Islamabad, December 8

Twenty-seven people were lashed in public on Thursday in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as punishment for alleged adultery, theft, drug offences and other crimes, according to a court official.

Afghanistan’s new authorities have implemented hardline policies since they took over the country in August 2021 that have underlined their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia.

The country’s Supreme Court issued the final rulings after appeals. The court said the lashings took place in the northern province of Parwan, with 18 men and nine women punished in all.

Abdul Rahim Rashid, an official with the court, said the men and women were each lashed between 25 to 39 times.

An unspecified number of those punished also received two-year prison terms in Charakar. — AP