The Taliban, who have held unchallenged power in Afghanistan since 2021, held a mass punishment event against 63 people at the stadium on Tuesday, carrying out public floggings for crimes ranging from “running away from home” to “adultery.”
Afghan media reported the latest in a growing trend of punishment shows in stadiums, citing local residents who said they supported public punishment under the Taliban’s rule. The United Nations has condemned the flogging, saying its leaders were “deeply concerned by the widespread and continuing use of corporal punishment in Afghanistan.”
Following the public flogging of 63 people by the Afghan de facto regime in Sari Pul yesterday, UNAMA reiterates its condemnation of corporal punishment and calls for respect for international human rights obligations. pic.twitter.com/kBeT18UJZd
— UNAMA News (@UNAMAnews) June 5, 2024
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan for much of the 1990s, imposing an extreme version of a totalitarian dictatorship. ShariaIslamic law, or jihad, has stripped Afghans of most civil liberties and effectively bans women. Burqa They will be accompanied by a male “guardian.”
On August 15, 2021, the Taliban once again became the de facto but uncontested government of Afghanistan after U.S. President Joe Biden announced his decision to abandon an agreement brokered with the Taliban by his predecessor, Donald Trump, and extend the 20-year-old Afghanistan war. The Taliban responded to the collapse of the agreement by swarming across Afghanistan and toppling the U.S.-backed government in Kabul amid a chaotic and poorly managed U.S. withdrawal.
President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin look on as a Marine Corps evacuation team moves a transport case containing the body of Marine Lance Corporal Dylan Merola, 20, from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Senator)
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), a U.S. government watchdog, later confirmed that Biden left at least $7.2 billion worth of military equipment with the Taliban and provided the Taliban with about $11 million of U.S. taxpayer money between August 2021 and May 2024.
Related — Alex Marlowe’s “Breaking Biden”: Biden left weapons for terrorists in Afghanistan
After returning to power, Taliban leaders promised a more “inclusive” government than those in power before 2001 and vowed to respect women’s rights more than ever before. But three years later, the Taliban have largely reverted to their old ways, banning girls from school, requiring face coverings and even persecuting foreign women. work For the United Nations.
But that hasn’t stopped the international community, including the United Nations, which continues to try to maintain a humanitarian presence in Afghanistan, from incorporating the Taliban into its structures.
Afghan media Tolo News report A collective flogging was announced in Sar-e-Pul province on Wednesday. The victims, 48 men and 15 women, were sentenced to between 15 and 39 lashes each. In addition to physical abuse, some of the victims received prison sentences ranging from six months to five years. According to Voice of America, the group maximum Since 2021, he has been known to receive public floggings at Taliban events.
“Since retaking Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have publicly flogging hundreds of men and women in sports stadiums across the country. At least five Afghans convicted of murder have also been executed by public shooting,” Voice of America reported.
“According to local authorities, the individuals were arrested by security forces for various crimes and are now being punished,” Tolo News reported. “The crimes they committed include running away from home, armed robbery, adultery, homosexual acts and blasphemy.”
Associated Press report The Taliban’s Supreme Court upheld the flogging sentences, claiming that all victims had received due process, and confirmed that the punishments took place in sports stadiums and that the victims included “men and women who had been convicted of adultery and were planning to run away from home.”
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which has sought to maintain ties with the Taliban, condemned the incident on Wednesday, as did the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
“We are deeply concerned by the widespread and continuing use of corporal punishment in Afghanistan,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Jeremy Lawrence. Said In a statement.
“Corporal punishment is a clear violation of international human rights law. Afghanistan is a party to both the Convention against Torture 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 human dignity and equality.”
“We again call on the de facto authorities to immediately end all forms of corporal punishment,” the statement continued. “Furthermore, we call on the de facto authorities to: [the Taliban] Ensure full respect for the rights to due process and a fair trial for everyone facing criminal charges, in particular access to legal counsel.”
Tolo News (which notably faced Taliban attacks and direct threats in 2021) reported that local residents appear to approve of the flogging punishment.
The Taliban agreed to enter the TOLO News compound in Kabul, inspect the security guards’ weapons, take back the government-issued weapons and ensure security on the compound. #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/LhuMI7Z90u
— TOLO News (@TOLO News) August 16, 2021
“Young people will learn lessons from the crimes they committed and crimes and criminal activities will decrease,” Tolo News reported, citing a local resident who gave his name as Jamshid.
Another local resident reportedly claimed people were “happy” with the stadium flogging.
Using stadiums to stage shows to punish criminals is not unprecedented under the second Taliban regime in Afghanistan. In February, the Taliban Confirmed Execution of a criminal in Jawzjan province. The Taliban reportedly convicted a man of murder and gave permission for the victim’s brother to kill the convicted man in front of a packed stadium.
“An anonymous witness said the man was shot five times with a rifle by the victim’s brother,” US-based Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported at the time.
Flashback — CNN’s Tapper on Afghanistan: “It’s shocking how wrong President Biden was.”
