Corpun file 26182 at www.corpun.com
rferl.com (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), 2 September 2015
Amnesty International Condemns Afghan Punishment for 'Adultery'
Afghan Provincial Officials Back Public Lashing
An Afghan man and woman both endured 100 lashes in the western province of Ghor after being found guilty of adultery. It was the first time since the end of Taliban rule that such a sentence was supported by provincial authorities. (RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan)
Amnesty International is condemning as "abhorrent" the public flogging of a man and a woman in Afghanistan for "adultery."
In a statement issued on September 2, the human rights organization called on Afghan authorities to hold to account those responsible.
The couple was illegally sentenced to 100 lashes by a primary court in western Ghor Province.
One of the court's judges in Cheghcheran town later carried out the punishment in public in the presence of police and other officials on 30 August 2015.
However, it only came to public attention after being broadcast on Afghan TV.
"Corporal punishments constitute cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, and in this case, with the degree of violence and humiliation shown, may amount to torture," said Horia Mosadiq, Amnesty International's Afghanistan researcher.
"This is far from an isolated example of cruel and unlawful punishments being handed down and carried out in Afghanistan, which is particularly common in the informal justice system that still exists in many parts of the country," Mosadiq explained.
The Taliban and other armed insurgent groups are also often responsible for meting out corporal punishments in public, as well as carrying out public executions.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty © 2015 RFE/RL, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
RELATED VIDEO CLIP
50-second clip from US-controlled TV station Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (2 Sep 2015) shows the flogging referred to in the above text. A man and a woman convicted of adultery with each other (identities concealed) are flogged on the clothed upper back with a leather strap, while village elders and officials look on.
HERE IS THE CLIP:
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