Nine individuals were flogged in a court under the authority of the Afghan Taliban movement on Sunday.

The eight men and one woman, who have already been tried and are serving prison sentences for their crimes, received between 20 and 39 lashes, according to the information and culture department on X, formerly known as Twitter, in Zabul province in the south of the country.

The Supreme Court issued a statement saying that the individuals in the district court were punished for committing "the crimes of theft and illegal relationships."

Without providing further details, the court stated that the penalty of "ta'zir" was applied to the offenders in court.

In Islamic criminal law, the term "ta'zir" refers to punishment for crimes at the discretion of the judge and usually results in "moderate" flogging intended as a form of discipline and reprimand.

In May, the United Nations stated that corporal punishment violates the Convention Against Torture and called for an end to this practice. The body said that at least 334 individuals were publicly flogged in the past six months in Afghanistan, which has been ruled by the extremist Taliban since it returned to power in August 2021.

According to the United Nations, the vast majority of those convicted were punished for crimes such as "adultery," elopement of minors, theft, homosexuality, drinking alcohol, fraud, and drug trafficking.

The Taliban authorities rejected the criticisms, stating that their actions are in line with the law and necessary to ensure the safety and security of the people.