Talaban In Afghanistan Gives Woman 40 Lashes For Talking On The Phone

It only took 80 seconds for two men to rain down 40 lashes on the woman huddled on her knees as a large crowd looked on. The video of the brutal sentence carried out on an Afghan woman was filmed near Herat and posted on Facebook on April 13. It is a painful reminder of the continued operation of Taliban “courts”, even though they have been banned. For our Observer, it also symbolizes the failure of the Afghan government.

According to our Observers, this footage is from late 2020, though it hasn’t been possible to determine the precise date the incident occurred. This date range was confirmed by the governor of Herat on April 15. The video was first posted online on April 13, sparking widespread shock and outrage. The incident took place in Haftgola located near Herat in the Obe district.

The victim is forced to kneel and a man starts to whip her. After a while, another man takes over. In between the victim’s cries of pain, you can hear her saying, “I repent … it’s my fault … I messed up."

According to our Observers, this young woman was accused of “immoral relations” because she spoke on the phone with a young man. The man was also arrested and is being held in a Taliban prison.