On Saturday, April 6th, as reported by the official statement released on the website of the Taliban Supreme Court, six individuals, among whom is a woman, were subjected to public lashing in the province of Logar, under the charges of “sodomy” and “adultery.” According to the aforementioned statement, two individuals received 39 lashes, three received 35 lashes, while one person was subjected to 25 lashes. Furthermore, three of the accused were sentenced to two years of imprisonment, and the remaining three to one year. These events transpire subsequent to a prior declaration by the Taliban, on January 7th 2024, wherein four individuals were subjected to 39 lashes each on charges of “sodomy,” with each individual receiving a concurrent 18-month prison sentence. The Afghanistan LGBTIQ+ Organization (ALO), expresses profound concerns regarding the corporal punishment and imprisonment of six individuals accused of engaging in same-sex acts. The imprisonment and act of lashing individuals based on their sexual orientation is a gross violation of human rights.
As an organization dedicated to advancing the human rights of LGBTIQ+ people, we firmly stand against all forms of discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics, and gender expression. Our hearts go out to those who were brutally and unjustly oppressed and targeted. We strongly condemn such acts and all forms of violence against people with diverse sexual orientation and gender identity and we call for the revoke of these unjust imprisonments. No one should be subjected to arbitrary detention, imprisonment, and corporal punishment based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.
We call upon the international community, human rights organizations, and governments to react firmly to this gross violation of human rights, and we ask for immediate action to protect the rights and safety of LGBTIQ+ people in Afghanistan. We urge the international community and governments to use all leverage to put pressure on the Taliban to cease such human rights violations and release all six individuals who were detained by the Taliban.
