Two men convicted of robbery by a Taliban court in Nangarhar province were publicly flogged on Sunday, receiving 39 lashes each, according to a ruling issued by the primary court of Spin Zar district. The court also sentenced both men to two years and six months in prison.

The Taliban’s Supreme Court said in a statement that the punishments were carried out in the presence of the district court’s chief and members, the local police commander, officials from the Directorate of Vice and Virtue, and residents of Spin Zar district.

Sayed Mahmood Hashimi, head of the Spin Zar district primary court, reiterated the Taliban’s commitment to enforcing “Islamic Sharia,” warning that “anyone who acts against Sharia will be punished according to Sharia, and the survival of the system depends on enforcing Islamic rulings.”

Despite widespread condemnation from international human rights organisations over public corporal punishment and the mistreatment of detainees, the Taliban continue to carry out public floggings, describing them as the implementation of “Islamic Sharia.”