"UN demands end to Taliban's brutal punishments in Afghanistan"

A UN report has criticized the Taliban for carrying out public executions, lashings, and stonings since seizing power in Afghanistan, calling on the country's rulers to halt such practices. The report documents Taliban practices both before and after their return to power in August 2021, when they seized the capital of Kabul as US and NATO forces withdrew after two decades of war. The Taliban began carrying out such punishments shortly after coming to power almost two years ago, despite initial promises of a more moderate rule than during their previous stint in power in the 1990s.