Afghanistan
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Retentionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 7
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · Afghan law does not prohibit the execution of an individual...
- News items in the archive
- 560
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Afghanistan is classified as Retentionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 7 the year before. The archive holds 560 news items on Afghanistan, from 1999 to today.
Latest news
SEPTEMBER 1, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: SIX FLOGGED IN KABUL AS TALIBAN INTENSIFY PUBLIC PUNISHMENTS
The Taliban on August 30, 2025 publicly flogged six people in the Afghan capital after convicting them of drug‑related offenses, the group’s Supreme Court said.
JULY 19, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH BY TALIBAN COURT OVER ALLEGED BLASPHEMY
A Taliban court in Afghanistan’s Paktika province has sentenced a man to death on charges of blasphemy, according to a spokesperson for the group.
JULY 15, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOGS TWO IN KABUL AND GHAZNI AS CORPORAL PUNISHMENT PERSISTS
The Taliban flogged two individuals, including a woman, in Kabul and Ghazni provinces earlier this week, as the group continues carrying out corporal punishment despite widespread global condemnation, KabulNow reported on July 11, 2025.
JUNE 19, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN FLOG THREE IN TAKHAR AND MAIDAN WARDAK AMID ONGOING PUBLIC PUNISHMENTS
Taliban have publicly flogged three people, including a woman, in separate incidents in northern and central Afghanistan, the group’s Supreme Court announced on June 18, 2025.
- JUNE 10, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOG WOMAN AND 13 MEN ACROSS FOUR PROVINCES
The Taliban’s Supreme Court has announced that 14 individuals, including one woman, were publicly flogged across four provinces of Afghanistan.
JUNE 5, 2025AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN RELEASE OR EASE SENTENCES OF OVER 2,500 PRISONERS AHEAD OF EID
The Taliban have released 1,559 prisoners and shortened the sentences of 950 others on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the group’s supreme court announced on June 4, 2025.
- 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 PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: 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 PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: 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.
- NOVEMBER 21, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOG THREE INDIVIDUALS IN SAMANGAN PROVINCE
Taliban publicly flogged three individuals in a stadium in Khulm district of the central province of Samangan, according to a statement released on November 21, 2024 by the Taliban’s Supreme Court.
NOVEMBER 14, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY EXECUTE MAN ACCUSED OF MURDER
The Taliban authorities publicly executed a man accused of murder in Paktia province, eastern Afghanistan, on November 13, 2024, marking the sixth public execution since their return to power in the country.
- NOVEMBER 13, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOGS MAN IN GHAZNI
The Taliban on November 11, 2024 publicly flogged a man in Ghazni province, southeastern Afghanistan, on charges of “moral corruption.”
- NOVEMBER 6, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOGS TWO PEOPLE IN PARWAN
The Taliban publicly flogged a man and a woman for “adultery” in Parwan province, eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban Supreme Court announced on November 5, 2024.
- NOVEMBER 5, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOGS 27 INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING 5 WOMEN, IN MULTIPLE PROVINCES
The Taliban carried out November 5, 2024 public floggings of 27 individuals, including 5 women, in the provinces of Jowzjan, Kabul, Paktika, and Maidan Wardak.
- OCTOBER 16, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: HUNDREDS AWAIT EXECUTION IN TALIBAN PRISONS AS WORLD MARKS DAY AGAINST DEATH PENALTY
As the world observes the World Day Against the Death Penalty on October 10, reports indicate that hundreds of inmates in Taliban-controlled prisons in Afghanistan are awaiting execution.
- OCTOBER 15, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOG EIGHT PEOPLE IN EASTERN AFGHANISTAN
Taliban publicly flogged eight individuals, including a woman, in the eastern province of Kunar on October 13, 2024.
- JUNE 4, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY FLOGS 30 INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING A WOMAN, IN THE PAST FOUR DAYS
The Taliban has publicly flogged 30 individuals, including a woman, on multiple charges in the provinces of Ghor, Paktika, Ghazni, Khost, and Kunduz in the last four days, kabulnow.com reported on June 4, 2024.
- MARCH 31, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN VOWS TO PUBLICLY STONE WOMEN TO DEATH FOR ADULTERY'
In a bold statement addressing Western democracies, the Taliban's supreme leader reaffirmed the group's harsh policies towards women, specifically the punishment for adultery.
- FEBRUARY 26, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: THE TALIBAN HOLD ANOTHER PUBLIC EXECUTION AS THOUSANDS WATCH AT A STADIUM
The Taliban held a public execution on February 26, 2024 of a man convicted of murder in northern Afghanistan as thousands watched at a sports stadium, the third such death sentence to be carried out in the past five days.
- FEBRUARY 22, 2024AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: THE TALIBAN CARRY OUT A DOUBLE PUBLIC EXECUTION AT A STADIUM
The Taliban carried out a double public execution at a stadium in southeastern Afghanistan on February 22, 2024 as thousands watched the killing of two convicted men as their victims’ relatives fired the gunshot.
- SEPTEMBER 17, 2023AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN: COURT HANDS DOWN FLOGGING PUNISHMENT FOR NINE CONVICTS
Nine people were flogged in an Afghan Taliban-ruled court on September 17, 2023.