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In March of this year, the Taliban’s Supreme Leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, announced that the Taliban regime would resume the public stoning of women for crimes like adultery. The Taliban argues that this is “in line with Sharia and Islamic law” and will also punish other “moral crimes” in a similar fashion.
Since the Taliba returned to power in August 2021, the regime has carried out severe public punishments, including executions, floggings, and stoning. These punishments mirror those carried out during their first regime in the late 1990s. There have been five public executions so far and numerous public floggings.
Human rights advocates across the world note that religious justification, especially one that has no legitimate basis in the Quran, does not excuse the brutal treatment of women and human rights violations.
For women accused of “moral crimes” like adultery, there is no way to seek justice or defend themselves. The Taliban has banned women lawyers and judges and installed radical replacements of mullahs, forcing women to accept punishment with no room for recourse. In 2023, the Taliban installed judges who ordered 417 public flogging and executions, which included at least 57 documented women.
In June 2024, the Taliban announced 63 people were flogged, including 14 women and 49 men, in a sports stadium after having been convicted of various “moral crimes” like adultery and homosexuality.
The Taliban’s Supreme Leader also vowed to enforce public stoning of women, even in the face of backlash from the international community. However, there are no reports of this punishment being ordered over the last three years. The threat of stoning may instead act as a deterrent to maintain the “morality” of the country.
Until the international community holds the Taliban accountable for their human rights abuses and Gender Apartheid, women will continue to face a harsh and increasingly worsening situation in Afghanistan.
Sources: The Guardian; VoA News; AP News; Afghan Witness.
