Afghan official says 19 people lashed in northeast province

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan Supreme Court official says 19 people were lashed in the country’s northeast after being convicted of adultery, theft and running away from home. It appears to be the first official confirmation that punishments like lashing and flogging are being meted out since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. During their previous rule in the late 1990s, the group carried out public executions, floggings and stoning of those convicted of crimes in Taliban courts. On Sunday, a Supreme Court official said that 10 men and nine women were punished in Takhar province in the presence of elders, residents and scholars.