Taliban, despite severe international criticism for human rights violations, continue flogging petty criminals. The Taliban, on Wednesday, flogged nine men for theft and sodomy. They also chopped off the hands of four others.
The nine men were lashed 35-39 times in the presence of local authorities and Kandahar residents.
Haji Zaid, a spokesman for the governor's office in southern Kandahar province, said in a tweet that the lashings took place at the sports stadium in the city of Kandahar, the provincial capital.
Zaid's tweet did not elaborate on the crimes the nine were accused of or provide other details.
Shabnam Nasimi, the former Policy Advisor to Minister for Afghan Resettlement & Minister for Refugees in the UK tweeted, "The Taliban have reportedly cut off the hands of 4 people in a football stadium in Kandahar today, accused of theft, in front of spectators. People are being lashed, amputated & executed in Afghanistan, without fair trial and due process. This is a human rights violation."
Last month, a group of independent UN human rights experts called on the de facto authorities to immediately halt all forms of severe, cruel and degrading punishments.
According to a statement by the UN, authorities have reportedly carried out floggings of over 100 individuals since November.
