The Taliban whipped 12 people at a provincial sports stadium south of Kabul as the audience watched on Wednesday.
The violent display was the first of its kind since the extremist group took over Afghanistan after the US withdrawal in August 2021, the Associated Press reported.
Similar bloody spectacles were commonplace when the Taliban ruled the country in the 1990s, and are carried out according to the group’s strict interpretation of Sharia law.
The victims were reported to be nine men and three women who were beaten as hundreds of onlookers watched.
The Logar province stadium lashing was attended by a crowd invited by the regional governor who urged “honorable scholars, mujahideen, elders, tribal leaders and local people” to attend the 9 a.m. beating, which was publicized on social media.
The punished women and men were whipped between 21 and 39 times each. They had been convicted in an area court of adultery and theft, according to a government official.
“Sharia law is the only solution for problems in Afghanistan and must be implemented,” deputy governor of Logar Enayatullah Shuja said in a statement after the beatings had been carried out.