The Taliban announced that they are returning to the "good ol' days" when raped women were flogged and stoned to death in public. The Taliban's supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, justified this bronze-age policy as a continuation of their struggle against Western influences, declaring on Taliban-controlled Radio Television Afghanistan, "We will flog the women … we will stone them to death in public [for adultery]. You may call it a violation of women's rights when we publicly stone or flog them for committing adultery because they conflict with your democratic principles. [But] I represent Allah, and you represent Satan. The Taliban's work did not end with the takeover of Kabul, it has only just begun," he said."
As reported by The Guardian, this barbaric edict has been met with horror by human rights activists. Safia Arefi, head of the Afghan human rights organization Women's Window of Hope, said, "Now, no one is standing beside them to save them from Taliban punishments. The international community has chosen to remain silent in the face of these violations of women's rights."
The Taliban has already carried out 417 public floggings and executions in the past year alone, with 57 women among the victims.
From The Guardian:
Sahar Fetrat, an Afghan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: "Two years ago, they didn't have the courage they have today to vow stoning women to death in public; now they do.
"They tested their draconian policies one by one, and have reached this point because there is no one to hold them accountable for the abuses. Through the bodies of Afghan women, the Taliban demand and command moral and societal orders. We should all be warned that if not stopped, more and more will come."
The Taliban may claim to represent Allah, but their actions are a far cry from any notion of divine justice or compassion.
