Twenty-seven people were flogged in front of a crowd in Afghanistan today, a day after the first public execution ordered since the return to power of the Taliban, whose regime has called international criticism “interference”.
Today, in Charikar, the capital of Parwan province (west), “27 criminals, including 18 men and 9 women, were flogged by order of the Sharia courts [lei islâmica] of said province”, explained the Supreme Court.
The alleged reasons for this sentence are, among others: sodomy, adultery, false testimony, debauchery, escape from the marital home or theft, as well as the sale and possession of narcotics.
“Each of these criminals confessed to the crimes in court without resorting to force and was satisfied with the punishment imposed by the court,” a source told Agence France Presse (AFP).
A witness told AFP that more than 1,000 people witnessed the flogging staged at a stadium in the city. “The audience chanted ‘Allah Akbar’ and ‘we want God’s law to be enforced on our soil,’” he said.
“The flogging received 20 to 39 blows with a baton from a Taliban team that changed places as they got tired.” “Most of the men were writhing, while the women were screaming in pain,” according to the witness.
On Wednesday, for the first time since their return to power in August 2021, the Taliban executed a man accused of murder in front of several hundred people in Farah (west).
The inmate was killed with three shots by the victim’s father, according to the retaliation law.
This situation was strongly criticized, in particular by the United States and France.
Washington called the act “hateful” and regretted that the Taliban are not fulfilling the promises they made to the international community.
“This shows, in our opinion, that the Taliban is trying to return to its backward and violent practices of the 1990s,” said Ned Price, a spokesman for the US State Department.
Under the first Taliban regime (1996-2001), the Taliban publicly punished those responsible for robbery, kidnapping or adultery, with penalties such as amputation of a limb and stoning.
“France condemns in the strongest terms the public execution carried out today by the Taliban in Afghanistan,” the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted in a press release.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid reacted, calling it “interference”.
The fact that Afghanistan is criticized “shows that certain countries and organizations” have “a problem with Islam and do not respect the beliefs and laws of Muslims,” he denounced in a statement.
Upon their return to power, the Taliban pledged to be more flexible in applying Sharia law, but have largely reverted to the strict interpretation of Islam that marked their first rise to power.
In mid-November, Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered judges to apply all aspects of Islamic law, including public executions, stoning, flogging and amputation for thieves.
Source: Observadora
