Islamabad: A UN report released on Monday harshly criticised the Taliban for engaging in such acts since seizing control of Afghanistan and urged the government to put an end to them.

According to a report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, 274 men, 58 women, and two boys were publicly flogged in Afghanistan in just the previous six months.

Fiona Frazer, the organization's human rights chief, declared that corporal punishment contravenes the Convention against Torture and must end. She also demanded a halt to executions right away.

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In response, the Taliban's foreign ministry claimed that the vast majority of Afghans adhere to Islamic law and that Afghanistan's laws are therefore based on Islamic principles.

The government must abide by Islamic law in cases where it conflicts with international human rights law, according to a statement from the ministry.

Despite early promises of a more moderate rule than during their previous period in power in the 1990s, the Taliban started enforcing such punishments not long after taking office nearly two years ago.

In accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law, they have also gradually tightened restrictions on women, banning them from public areas like parks and gyms. The restrictions have caused a global uproar, deepening the nation's isolation at a time when its economy is collapsing, and escalating a humanitarian crisis.

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The report released on Monday on corporal punishment details Taliban practises prior to and following their takeover of the Afghan capital in August 2021, when US and NATO forces withdrew following two decades of conflict and the Taliban seized control.

According to the report, the first public flogging after the Taliban took control occurred in the northern province of Kapisa in October 2021. In that instance, a man and woman found guilty of adultery were publicly whipped 100 times each in front of clerics and local Taliban leaders, it claimed.

The first public execution since they came into power, the Taliban authorities executed an Afghan man found guilty of murder in December 2022, according to the report.

Since that tweet, 274 men, 58 women, and two boys have been the victims of at least 43 public beatings, according to UNAMA. The majority of penalties were associated with adultery convictions and "running away from home," according to the report. Theft, homosexuality, drinking alcohol, fraud, and drug trafficking were among the other alleged offences.

The Taliban's deputy chief justice, Abdul Malik Haqqani, claimed last week that the Taliban Supreme Court had handed down 175 so-called retribution verdicts since assuming power, including 79 floggings and 37 stonings.

Such decisions establish the right of a fictitious victim or a victim's relative to retaliate against or pardon the offender. The Taliban leadership, according to Haqqani, is committed to carrying out such sentences.

The Taliban persisted in using corporal punishment and carrying out executions in regions under their control after being initially ousted in the US invasion of 2001 while waging an uprising against the US-backed former Afghan government, according to the report.

During the height of their insurgency between 2010 and August 2021, UNAMA documented at least 182 instances in which the Taliban carried out their own sentences, resulting in 213 fatalities and 64 injuries.
Islamic law is used in many nations with a majority of Muslims, but the Taliban's interpretation stands out.

Taliban restrictions on women working have been denounced by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as an intolerable violation of Afghan human rights.

Afghan women employed by the UN mission were informed by the Taliban on April 5 that they could no longer report for work. The prohibition on women working has prompted warnings from aid organisations that it will hinder their ability to provide urgent humanitarian aid in Afghanistan.

In the past, the Taliban forbade women from participating in most aspects of public life and employment, including continuing their education past the sixth grade. They forbade Afghan women from working for local and non-governmental organisations in December; at the time, this ban did not apply to UN offices.

Public executions and corporal punishment offenders were carried out by officials under the first Taliban regime from 1996 to 2001, frequently in public spaces like sports stadiums and at

Afghan women employed by the UN mission were informed by the Taliban on April 5 that they could no longer report for work. The prohibition on women working has prompted warnings from aid organisations that it will hinder their ability to provide urgent humanitarian aid in Afghanistan.

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In the past, the Taliban forbade women from participating in most aspects of public life and employment, including continuing their education past the sixth grade. They forbade Afghan women from working for local and non-governmental organisations in December; at the time, this ban did not apply to UN offices.

Public executions and corporal punishment offenders were carried out by officials under the first Taliban regime from 1996 to 2001, frequently in public spaces like sports stadiums and at intersections.