Woman Publicly Lashed By Taliban For Speaking To Man Over Phone

In 80 seconds, a woman was horrifically lashed 40 times by two men of the Taliban tribunal in Afghanistan. A video of the horrendous “justice” faced by the woman surfaced on Facebook earlier this month. In the video, the woman can be heard pleading with the men as they continue to lash her. Details of the disturbing incident eventually became known.

Even though Taliban tribunals are banned in Afghanistan, the organization continues to disrupt the lives of people in the country. The video shared, is reportedly from Haftgola located near the country’s third-largest city Herat, in the Obe district.

While the video was released earlier this month, the incident is believed to have occurred in 2020, The Daily Star reported.

In the video, two members of the group can be seen walking the woman into a clearing. The victim, surrounded by a crowd of local people, who are seen to be witnessing the “punishment”. One man began lashing the unidentified burqa-clad woman, pausing briefly to hand over the whip to another man. As the second man took over, the woman can be heard pleading for the attackers to stop.

It is believed that the woman’s attack was for having “immoral relations” with a man. She had been accused of this crime for simply speaking to a young man. The man she was accused of speaking with was also put in Taliban prison. The punishment he faced is unclear.

In the absence of a strong Afghan government, the Taliban continues to influence the lives of people all over the country. In many villages, the Taliban court sits thrice a week. Any local can file a complaint with the court on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Speaking to France 24’s The Observers, Atefa Ghafouri, a women’s rights activist in Herat, revealed the fear in which women in Afghanistan still live. She said that as the United States, Afghan government and Taliban are set to meet in Turkey, she is afraid that they will return to a Taliban-ruled state.

She blamed the Afghan government and legal system for the popularity of the Taliban courts. Ghafouri pointed out that to get any case handled by the legal system of the country officials needed to be bribed.

Instead, locals preferred to get quick justice from the Taliban. She stated that the country was divided, one half ruled by the government and the other by the Taliban.