UN Calls for Immediate Halt to Corporal Punishment by Taliban in Afghanistan

Jeremy Laurence, the spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, has called for an immediate halt to corporal punishment of citizens in Afghanistan in response to the Taliban’s public flogging of dozens of individuals in Sar-e Pol province.

According to a statement released by the UN Human Rights Office on Wednesday night, June 7, the Taliban publicly flogged 48 women and 15 men for allegedly running away from home and committing “moral crimes” before completing their prison sentences, in the presence of hundreds of residents.

Laurence emphasized that corporal punishment is a clear violation of international human rights laws, and Afghanistan is a party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The UN also urged the Taliban to ensure the right of the accused to a fair trial and access to legal counsel.