A woman in Afghanistan – from the Times:
Having run out of stitching supplies, Hira, a 23-year-old embroiderer, went to her local market in northern Afghanistan to buy some more.
But what started as a routine errand led to her being punished in public by flogging, as a crowd of men jeered and loudly counted out every blow of the whip.
Upon entering a shop, Hira was approached by Taliban soldiers who accused her of being in the market without a male guardian.
They asked why she was speaking to a man who was not her “mahram”, or male family member, and questioned if she was there to date the shopkeeper.
She was allowed to go home, but she and her family struggled to sleep that night, concerned about the repercussions of her encounter and the accusation of adultery.
“I felt that this could be the end of my life and I will be stoned to death in front of hundreds of men cheering the punishment,” she told The Times.
Since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in August 2021, public floggings have drastically risen, with hundreds occurring each year….
The next morning, Hira, whose real name is being withheld, was arrested and taken to a jail. There, she was questioned by two women wearing veils and was directly accused of being a woman in public without a mahram, of interacting with a man and having an affair with him.
She remained in jail for a week, before being brought before a Taliban court without any legal representation.
Her denials of an improper relationship with the shopkeeper persuaded the judge not to impose a death sentence by stoning, which is among the Taliban’s penalties for adultery.
However, Hira was convicted of appearing in the market without a male guardian and of interacting with a stranger. She was sentenced to 39 lashes.
A crowd of men then gathered to watch her punishment, she said. “After the court’s verdict, I was taken to a public area filled with dozens of men. My face and head were covered, and I endured immense suffering and humiliation as I was whipped in front of the crowd, who loudly counted each lash,” she said.
Overwhelmed with the pain, she cried out. Sobbing, she was then taken back to her jail cell and held there for another day to allow her wounds to heal.
How kind.