Afghanistan
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- theocracy
- CONSTITUTION
- new, signed on January 16, 2004 (based on the one from 1964); suspended by the Taliban in 2021
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- the Taliban are applying their interpretation of Islamic law, which is partly based on the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- the Taliban government has not announced the formation of a legislative body
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Supreme Court and many provincial courts, religious courts and specialized courts
RELIGIONS
Muslim 99.7% (Sunnis 84.7 - 89.7%, Shia 10 - 15%), other <0.3% (2009 est.)
From the country
AUGUST 14, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAfghanistan: UN experts warn against normalizing Taliban rule, urge action on human rights
APRIL 16, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: UN EXPERTS URGE TALIBAN TO REVOKE DECREE ON COURT RULES
A group of United Nations human rights experts has called on the Taliban to rescind a sweeping decree governing criminal court procedures, warning that it could further erode fundamental rights and legal protections in Afghanistan.
- APRIL 6, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
TALIBAN FLOGS 32 PEOPLE ACROSS AFGHANISTAN AMID SURGE IN CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
The Taliban publicly flogged 32 people, including women, in multiple provinces over the past three days, authorities said, amid a sharp rise in the group’s use of corporal punishment in recent months.
MARCH 24, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN SUPREME COURT PARDONS OVER 4,500 PRISONERS FOR EID AL-FITR
The Taliban’s Supreme Court has announced the release of 4,596 prisoners in observance of Eid al-Fitr.
MARCH 18, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN FLOG 21 PEOPLE IN KABUL IN ONE DAY
Taliban lashed 21 people in Kabul on March 15, 2026 on charges of drug-related offenses, according to a statement from the Taliban-run Supreme Court.
- MARCH 5, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOG 18 PEOPLE IN KABUL AND BAMYAN
Taliban authorities publicly flogged 18 people in Kabul and Bamyan provinces in early March 2026, Kabul Now reported on March 3, 2026.
FEBRUARY 24, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT SAYS APPEASEMENT OF THE TALIBAN HAS FAILED
Annalena Baerbock, President of the United Nations General Assembly, described attempts to appease the Taliban as unsuccessful in the face of the most severe human rights violations
FEBRUARY 19, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN CARRY OUT PUBLIC FLOGGINGS OF WOMEN AND MEN IN GHOR AND PARWAN
Based on an official statement, the Taliban’s Supreme Court carried out public floggings of two women and two men on February 18, 2026, in the Ghor and Parwan provinces.
FEBRUARY 10, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: FORMER TOP JUDGE SAYS TALIBAN PENAL CODE INVITES RIDICULE FROM MUSLIM WORLD
A former senior judge of Afghanistan’s Supreme Court has sharply criticised the Taliban’s newly issued penal code, saying it contradicts core principles of Islamic law and risks turning Afghanistan into an object of criticism and ridicule across the Musli
- FEBRUARY 2, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN LEADER AUTHORISES KILLING OF 11 CATEGORIES OF PEOPLE UNDER NEW PENAL CODE
Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has authorised the killing of 11 categories of people under a newly endorsed Taliban penal code
- JANUARY 24, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
UN EXPERTS PUSH FOR CODIFYING TALIBAN GENDER DISCRIMINATION AS CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
A group of United Nations experts on January 19, 2026 called on member states to recognize “gender apartheid” as a crime against humanity in a proposed international treaty
- JANUARY 22, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN FLOG THREE PEOPLE, INCLUDING WOMAN
Taliban have flogged three people, including a woman, in the northern province of Faryab after convicting them of what they described as “illicit relations” and fleeing home, Amu Tv reported on January 19, 2026.