The Taliban’s Supreme Court announced on Monday that a man in Parwan province was publicly flogged for having a sexual relationship with another man.

The individual received 39 lashes and was sentenced to one and a half years in prison.

The sentence was executed in public following a ruling from the primary court in the Sayed Khel district of Parwan.

In the past week, nearly 20 individuals, including men and women in Parwan, Khost, Ghazni, and Paktika, have been publicly flogged for various charges such as extramarital relations, theft, and drug use.

Human rights organisations have expressed concerns over the lack of fair trial standards in Taliban-controlled prisons and courts. According to a report by the human rights group Rawadari, the Taliban courts are plagued by discriminatory rulings, torture, forced confessions, a lack of independence and impartiality, and violations of the presumption of innocence.