Over the course of the past year, from March 2025 to March 2026, the Afghan Taliban have subjected at least 1,186 individuals to flogging as a form of corporal punishment, alongside conducting six public executions throughout Afghanistan. These figures, derived from official statements issued by the Taliban’s Supreme Court and compiled by a prominent Afghan television outlet, reveal a persistent and widespread application of harsh judicial penalties across the country.
It is important to note that these numbers do not account for the final 12 days between July 11 and July 22, suggesting that the actual tally of floggings may be even higher. The punishments were meted out in a vast array of provinces, encompassing major urban centers and remote regions alike. Among the affected areas were Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Khost, Badakhshan, Ghor, Paktia, Paktika, Faryab, Laghman, Kapisa, Parwan, Uruzgan, Zabul, Kunar, Maidan Wardak, Ghazni, Kunduz, Baghlan, Takhar, Badghis, Farah, Nimroz, Logar, Jawzjan, Helmand, Sar-e-Pul, Daikundi, and Bamiyan. This extensive geographical spread underscores the Taliban’s firm grip on judicial enforcement throughout Afghanistan.
During the latter months of this period, Taliban court records indicate a noticeable rise in the use of corporal punishment, with women increasingly subjected to such penalties. Official data highlight that nearly 100 women were flogged over an eight-month timeframe, many of these punishments carried out publicly. This development has sparked alarm among human rights advocates, who view the expansion of such punitive measures as emblematic of the broader tightening of restrictions under Taliban governance. The growing reliance on corporal punishment raises serious questions about the erosion of due process and fundamental human rights within the country.
Abdul Ahad Farzam, a respected human rights researcher, warned about the long-term implications of these practices. He emphasized that these punishments not only violate internationally recognized human rights standards but also foster a pervasive atmosphere of fear and repression within Afghan society. “The continuation of such harsh penalties undermines the rule of law and damages the social fabric,” Farzam remarked, highlighting the detrimental effects on both individuals and communities.
In addition to flogging, the Taliban carried out six public executions under the principle of qisas, or retributive justice, witnessed by residents in at least four provinces. The most recent execution took place in Khost, where a man was put to death in a sports stadium before a crowd numbering in the thousands, including children. Other executions were reported in Badghis, where three individuals were executed, as well as single executions in Farah and Nimroz provinces. These public displays of capital punishment serve as stark reminders of the Taliban’s strict interpretation and enforcement of Islamic law.
Throughout the year, the Taliban also introduced a new penal code that attracted widespread international condemnation due to its severity and the lack of adequate safeguards for fair trials. Alongside this, the regime intensified its crackdown on dissent, further restricting freedoms. For instance, in Kapisa province, a man was sentenced to 39 lashes and imprisoned for one year and six months on charges of “propaganda against the system.” Similarly, in Badghis, another individual faced flogging and imprisonment for allegedly insulting the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
The Taliban have defended these punishments as necessary measures to uphold Islamic law and maintain order. However, human rights organizations and international observers argue that such practices only deepen Afghanistan’s isolation on the global stage and exacerbate concerns about the protection of basic freedoms under Taliban rule. The continuation and expansion of corporal and capital punishments reflect a harsh judicial environment that severely restricts civil liberties and human dignity across the country.
