According to a court order, seven men were flogged in Afghanistan this Wednesday (20th) for various crimes. Including the sale and consumption of alcohol. The move is the first since the Taliban regained power last August.
The lashes are a reminder of the harsh penalties imposed by the regime during its first exercise of power between 1996 and 2001.
The seven accused men confessed to their crimes and were sentenced to 35 lashes each, the Supreme Court said in a statement.
“The sentence was carried out today in Kabul,” a senior official at that court, Abdul Basir Mashal, told AFP.
Five of the flogged defendants were also sentenced to six months in prison each.
During their first term, the Taliban maintained an extremely strict interpretation of Islamic law, punishing even petty crimes with floggings and public executions.
The rules were particularly strict for women, who were then humiliated and beaten by the feared religious police.
When they returned to power last year, the Taliban pledged to be more lenient, although they assured that they would continue to be guided by Sharia.