Taliban flogging of 20 people brings back hardline practices of old regime

Helmand [Pakistan], December 15 (ANI): Taliban 2.0 brings back the culture of the hard-line practices witnessed in the 1990s of Taliban rule as 20 people were publicly flogged on Wednesday in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.
20 people were flogged for alleged theft, adultery, and other offenses, local authorities said.
The lashings allegedly took place at the sports stadium in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of southern Helmand on Wednesday, Khaama Press quoted Mohammad Qasim Riyaz, a spokesperson for the governor's office as saying.
According to Riyaz, each man received between 35 and 39 lashings, and the penalties were administered in front of locals, elders, and government officials in the province. He further said that several of the convicts also received a prison sentence, Khaama Press reported.
Since assuming control of the country in August 2021, Taliban have implemented Sharia, or Islamic law.
Recently, the Taliban authorities executed an Afghan convicted of killing another man, the first public execution since the former insurgents took over Afghanistan last year.
The execution sparked outrage and international organizations, including the United Nations called for an immediate halt to such activities..
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the public execution took place in a sports stadium in western Farah province.
the Taliban said that the punishment was carried out after many investigations and it is also a "divine command."
A spokesperson for the Islamic Emirates, Bilal Karimi said, "The execution yesterday took place after many investigations, which were aligned with Islamic (law). All sides should not have any concern in this regard and should respect it," according to TOLONews
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) spokesperson Jeremy Laurence described it as a "deeply disturbing" development. Moreover, he added, it was performed in the presence of local residents and some senior members of the de facto authorities.
The Taliban have imposed strict restrictions on women. Women have been ordered to wear face coverings in public, and barred from traveling more than 45 miles (70 km) without a close male relative.(ANI)