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
JANUARY 14, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN FLOG 37 PEOPLE IN UNDER A WEEK
Taliban have increased the use of corporal punishment at the start of the new year (2026), flogging at least 37 people in public across 10 provinces in less than a week, according to data from statements issued by their Supreme Court.
DECEMBER 31, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN FLOGGED MORE THAN 1,000 PEOPLE IN PUBLIC IN 2025, FIGURES SHOW
The Taliban publicly flogged more than 1,000 people across Afghanistan in 2025, including at least 150 women, according to data released by their Supreme Court
DECEMBER 28, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN COURT OVERTURNS DEATH SENTENCE AGAINST TEACHER IN PAKTIKA
A Taliban court in Paktika province has overturned the death sentence against Abdul Alim Khamosh, a teacher who had been detained on charges of “insulting the prophet of islam,”
- DECEMBER 24, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOGS NINE PEOPLE, INCLUDING FOUR WOMEN, IN BAMYAN AND KAPISA
The Taliban publicly flogged nine people, including four women, in Bamyan and Kapisa provinces on charges of “illicit relationships” and “adultery,” the group’s supreme court announced
DECEMBER 23, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOGS MAN AND WOMAN IN NANGARHAR FOR ‘ILLICIT RELATIONSHIP’
The Taliban publicly flogged a man and a woman in eastern Nangarhar province on December 10, 2025 after they were convicted of engaging in an “illicit relationship,” the group’s supreme court announced.
- DECEMBER 9, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN SAY DEATH SENTENCES ISSUED FOR TWO SONS OF MAN EXECUTED IN PUBLIC IN KHOST
Taliban police in the eastern province of Khost said on December 3, 2025 that two sons of a man executed in a public “qisas” killing on December 2 have also been sentenced to death
DECEMBER 3, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: 13-YEAR-OLD BOY CARRIES OUT PUBLIC EXECUTION OF MAN CONVICTED OF MURDER
A public execution carried out by the Taliban in the eastern province of Khost on December 2, 2025 was conducted by a 13-year-old boy, local sources told Amu, adding that the man executed had been accused of killing 13 members of the child’s family.
- NOVEMBER 19, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN FLOG MAN AND WOMAN IN PUBLIC
The Taliban publicly flogged a man and a woman in Kabul and Balkh provinces in recent days, underscoring the persistence of corporal punishment despite widespread international criticism.
- NOVEMBER 12, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOG 15 PEOPLE, INCLUDING A WOMAN, IN NANGARHAR AND GHOR
The Taliban’s Supreme Court on November 12, 2025 confirmed that 15 people, including a woman, were publicly flogged in two separate provinces of Afghanistan — Nangarhar and Ghor — in recent days.
- NOVEMBER 6, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN FLOGS OVER 240 PEOPLE IN THREE MONTHS, UN REPORTS
The Taliban publicly flogged at least 242 people across Afghanistan between July and September this year, including 48 women, one boy, and two girls, according to a new report by the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
- OCTOBER 23, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
TALIBAN USES PUBLIC EXECUTIONS TO INSTIL FEAR AND CONTROL POPULATION, UN EXPERT SAYS
The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has condemned the Taliban’s latest public execution,
- OCTOBER 18, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY EXECUTE MAN CONVICTED OF MURDER IN BADGHIS
The Taliban on October 16, 2025 publicly executed a man convicted of murder in northwestern Afghanistan, marking the 11th such execution since the group’s return to power in 2021, according to the Taliban’s Supreme Court.