Taliban enforce first Hadd punishment with public flogging in Parwan

On 27 November 2024, multiple Afghan media outlets reported that the Taliban had publicly lashed a man 80 times in Parwan province for falsely accusing another individual of adultery. This marked the first instance of a Hadd punishment being enforced since the Taliban regained power in August 2021.

Hadd, with its plural form Hudud, refers to fixed Islamic punishments for specific offenses. These include lashing for unmarried men and women’s adultery, drinking alcohol, and false accusations of adultery; stoning for married men and women’s adultery; amputation for theft; and crucifixion for highway robbery.

On the same day, the Taliban’s Supreme Court issued a statement on its official website, declaring, “Today, in the sports stadium of Parwan province, the divine order of ‘Hadd Qadhf’ was implemented on a criminal”. Hadd Qadhf is a Sharia punishment for falsely accusing someone of adultery or fornication without providing sufficient evidence, typically resulting in 80 lashes to the accuser.

The statement identified the alleged criminal as Esa Khan, who had accused Abdul Razzaq of committing zina (adultery). The Supreme Court stated that the case was thoroughly reviewed by the three courts—Primary, Appellate, and Tamiz. As the accuser, Esa Khan, failed to substantiate his claim, he was sentenced to 80 lashes. With the approval of the Taliban’s Supreme Leader, the punishment was carried out publicly at Parwan’s sports stadium in the presence of court officials, administrative authorities, and members of the general public.

The Taliban had announced the punishment on social media a day prior. On 26 November 2024, Mawlawi Abdul Rahim Rashid, the Taliban’s spokesman for the Supreme Court, announced on his X account (formerly Twitter), which has nearly 40,000 followers, that a divine decree (Hadd-e Qadhf) would be carried out the following day on a criminal at the stadium in Charikar, capital of Parwan province.

A video shared by Afghanistan International and geolocated by AW [34.998978, 69.166193], shows a large crowd gathered at the Parwan stadium. Among them, some individuals with military uniforms, likely Taliban members, and other men appear to be standing near the accused. Chants of “God is Great” and “Long live the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” can be heard in the background.

Since filming such events is strictly prohibited by the Taliban, the video was recorded covertly from a distance. Lasting only 29 seconds, it does not clearly show the victim or the flogging itself.

Sharia punishments are classified into three categories based on the offense: Hudud, fixed punishments in the Quran and Hadiths for crimes “against God,” with no option for pardon; Qisas, punishments of equal retaliation for crimes against individuals or families, where the victim’s family can pardon the offender; and Tazir, discretionary punishments for crimes not specified in the Quran or Hadiths, determined by the ruler or judge.

From 26 October 2022 to 26 November 2024, AW has documented 235 Sharia punishment events announced by the Taliban, including 230 Tazir punishments and 5 Qisas. Sharia punishments have been announced in 32 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, with Nuristan and Daikundi the only exceptions. AW noted that this was the first Hadd punishment implemented (or at least publicly announced) by the Taliban since October 2022, when the Taliban’s Supreme Court began posting about Sharia punishments.

AW predicted in its November 2023 report on Sharia punishments that the execution of Hudud punishments by the Taliban in Afghanistan was imminent. This was both due to the observed increase in punishments, and due to comments by a senior Supreme Court official.

In May 2023, Sheikh Abdul Malik Haqqani, the Taliban’s administrative deputy for the Supreme Court, stated in a video posted on the Court’s YouTube channel that the Court had issued 103 Hudud verdicts, which were pending final approval from the Supreme Leader before implementation. He specified that 37 verdicts involved stoning to death for adultery and four were for the punishment of burial under a wall for sodomy, both of which fall under Hudud. According to Haqqani, these verdicts would be scrutinised, finalised and carried out gradually.

AW believes that the implementation of the first Hadd punishment in Parwan may signal the Taliban’s determination to gradually impose other severe corporal punishments, likely to avoid provoking strong reactions. The Taliban leadership must do so in a way that both satisfies more hardline supporters and avoids an overly negative international reaction.

Remarks

The Taliban’s first Hadd punishment, involving public flogging for false adultery accusations, underscores their focus on enforcing a strict interpretation of Sharia law, despite the likely backlash from the international community. By initially implementing a “milder” Hadd punishment like lashing, the Taliban are likely paving the ground for not only further Hadd punishments in the near future, but also harsher ones—such as amputations or stoning to death.