UN Experts Call for Investigating Taliban’s Treatment of Women After Public Lashings

Taliban fighters celebrate one year since they seized the Afghan capital, Kabul, in front of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2022. Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo

The United Nations Special Rapporteurs have called for an investigation of the subjugation of women’s rights in Afghanistan by the Taliban as gender persecution following reports of women being subject to lashings.

In Afghanistan, the violation of women’s fundamental rights, which is already “severe and unacceptable,” has risen in recent months, the experts said, according to a Nov. 25 U.N. statement. The Special Rapporteurs insisted that such gender persecution, which can be prosecuted under international law, is a crime against humanity.

Before the U.S. war in Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 terror attacks, public lashing punishments were common under Taliban rule. Stonings and public executions were also common.

After the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan last year following the U.S. exit from the country, they had initially promised to honor women’s rights. However, the regime has changed its tune and is mostly implementing Sharia Islamic law.

The U.N. expert comments come as 12 people, including three women, were recently flogged in a football stadium in Afghanistan in front of thousands of onlookers.

The 12 individuals were accused of engaging in “moral crimes,” including gay sex, robbery, and adultery, according to the BBC. The group received 21 to 39 lashes each. A few days earlier, 19 people were subjected to flogging in Takhar province.

The U.N. Special Rapporteurs said women’s rights activists have been increasingly targeted, beaten, and arrested in recent months, giving the example of activist Zarifa Yaquobi, who continues to be incarcerated.

The experts called on the international community to seek the reinstatement of women’s rights in Afghanistan while taking steps to investigate and prosecute those involved in gender prosecution at “appropriate international and extra-territorial jurisdictions.”

Restricting Women’s Freedoms

The Taliban have also prohibited women from getting secondary education. In one region, women have been blocked from entering their universities, according to the U.N. statement. The regime has also banned females from entering gyms, parks, and other public places.

“Banning women’s access to parks also denies children the opportunity for leisure and exercise and their right to engage in play and recreational activities,” the U.N. experts said.

“Confining women to their homes is tantamount to imprisonment and is likely leading to increased levels of domestic violence and mental health challenges.”

The Taliban are now beating men who accompany women who wear colorful clothing or don’t cover their faces. Such a policy might compel men to control the behavior of the women they’re associated with, thereby pitting one gender against the other, the experts said.