Whipping and imprisonment of 4 people on the charge of "Sodomy" in Afghanistan

On Sunday, the 17th of January, the Supreme Court of the Taliban, as reported on its official website, declared the flogging of four individuals with 39 strokes of the whip on charges of 'Sodomy.' Additionally, each of these individuals was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment.

This verdict, detailed in an announcement on the Taliban Supreme Court's website, underwent review by the Taliban Criminal Court in Kandahar Province and was executed publicly.

The Afghanistan LGBTIQ+ Organization (ALO), expresses profound concerns regarding the corporal punishment and imprisonment of four 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 four individuals who were detained by the Taliban.

We at Afghanistan LGBTIQ+ Organization (ALO), remain committed to our mission of creating a just, equal, and safe society where everyone can live without fear of persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics, and gender expression. Once again, we condemn the gross violation of human rights by the Taliban with the strongest terms.