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
- MAY 15, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
OVER 128,000 AFGHAN REFUGEES REPATRIATED FROM PAKISTAN IN SIX WEEKS, IOM SAYS
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that more than 128,000 Afghan refugees have been repatriated from Pakistan since early April, the majority of whom were forcibly deported.
MAY 7, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOG WOMAN AND THREE MEN
The Taliban authorities have publicly flogged a woman and three men in separate incidents in northern and southeastern Afghanistan, according to statements issued on May 4, 2025 by the group’s Supreme Court.
APRIL 15, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN FLOG 13 PEOPLE, INCLUDING FIVE WOMEN, IN KHOST AND JAWZJAN
The Taliban have publicly flogged 13 people, including five women, in the provinces of Khost and Jawzjan on charges ranging from “illicit relations” and “fleeing their home” to blasphemy, bribery, and false reporting, the group’s Supreme Court said in a s
APRIL 14, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: FOUR MEN PUBLICLY EXECUTED IN ONE DAY
Four men were publicly executed in Afghanistan on April 11, 2025, the Supreme Court said, the highest number of executions to be carried out in one day since the Taliban's return to power.
MARCH 3, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN FLOG 20 PEOPLE, INCLUDING WOMEN, AS CORPORAL PUNISHMENT PERSISTS
The Taliban has publicly flogged 20 people, including five women, on various charges in eastern Khost and Parwan provinces, the group’s Supreme Court announced on February 24, 2025.
- FEBRUARY 10, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN FLOG SEVEN IN THREE PROVINCES
Taliban publicly flogged seven people in Kunduz, Uruzgan and Ghazni provinces on charges of extramarital relations and assault, according to Taliban supreme court statements on February 10, 2025.
- JANUARY 23, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOG 10 PEOPLE IN KHOST AS CORPORAL PUNISHMENTS PERSIST
The Taliban’s Supreme Court has announced that 10 individuals, including one woman, were publicly whipped in Khost province on January 22, 2025, charged with “adultery,” “sodomy,” “illicit relations,” and “running away from home.”
- JANUARY 14, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN: PESHAWAR HIGH COURT BLOCKS DEPORTATION OF OVER 100 AFGHAN MUSICIANS
The Peshawar High Court on January 10, 2025 issued an order preventing the forced deportation of more than 100 Afghan musicians who have sought political asylum in Pakistan, according to local media reports.
- DECEMBER 17, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOG THREE INDIVIDUALS FOR ‘SODOMY’
Taliban authorities have publicly flogged three Individuals for “sodomy” in Kunduz province, northern Afghanistan, amid a recent surge in corporal punishment.
- DECEMBER 11, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOG MAN AND WOMAN IN GHAZNI ON CHARGES OF ‘ADULTERY’
The Taliban Supreme Court announced on December 10, 2024 that a man and a woman have been publicly flogged in Ghazni province, southeastern Afghanistan, on charges of “adultery.”
- DECEMBER 8, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOGS SIX PEOPLE IN KHOST AND ONE IN FARYAB PROVINCES
The Taliban publicly flogged six individuals in eastern Khost province and one person in northern Faryab province on December 3, 2024.
NOVEMBER 28, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOG 10, INCLUDING TWO WOMEN
Taliban publicly flogged two women and eight men in the provinces of Khost, Balkh and Ghor, according to Taliban statements on November 28, 2024.