The Taliban’s Supreme Court has announced that a woman and two men were publicly flogged in the Khuram wa Sarbagh district of Samangan province, accused of “illicit relations” and fleeing from home.

According to the court, the accused were each subjected to 39 lashes and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 months to 2 years. In a statement released on Sunday, the Taliban’s Supreme Court noted that the flogging took place in the presence of local officials, court attendees, and members of the public.

Separately, the court reported another public flogging in Kunduz province on Saturday, where three individuals accused of “same-sex relations” were each subjected to 39 lashes. They were also sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 4 to 7 years.

Despite widespread condemnation from international human rights organisations regarding the use of corporal punishment and torture, the Taliban continue to carry out public floggings, claiming these practices align with “Islamic Sharia law.”

The Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan has seen an increase in public punishments, raising concerns over human rights violations and the erosion of judicial fairness.