Afghan Taliban flog nearly 1,200 people, carry out six public executions during past year

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Mar, 2026) The Afghan Taliban flogged at least 1,186 people and carried out six public executions in Afghanistan during the last year (March 2025 to March 2026).

The official statements and data compiled by an Afghan television channel, and drawn from statements issued by the Taliban’s Supreme Court, indicate the continued application of corporal punishment in most parts of the country.

The total excludes the final 12 days of July 11 to July 22, implying that the actual number of floggings could be higher.

These punishments took place across dozens of provinces, including 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.

Taliban court statements show an increase in the use of corporal punishment during the latter months of the year, with women also subjected to such measures. Official data reveal that nearly 100 women were flogged over an eight-month period, with many of these punishments conducted in public.

Human rights advocates describe the expansion of corporal punishment as reflective of wider restrictions under Taliban rule, raising serious concerns regarding due process and fundamental freedoms.

Abdul Ahad Farzam, a human rights researcher, stated that the persistence of these practices could lead to long-term consequences.

“These punishments violate basic human rights standards and create a climate of fear in society,” he said.

Public executions were also implemented during the year under the principle of qisas, or retributive justice, with residents in at least four provinces witnessing such events.

In the most recent instance, a man was executed in a sports stadium in Khost in the presence of thousands of spectators, including children. Other executions were reported in Badghis (where three individuals were put to death), as well as one each in Farah and Nimroz.

Additionally, the Taliban introduced a new penal code during the year, which drew widespread international criticism for its severity and inadequate due process protections.

The group also intensified enforcement against dissent. In one instance in Kapisa province, a man received 39 lashes and a prison sentence of one year and six months for what the Taliban termed “propaganda against the system.” In another case in Badghis, an individual was flogged and imprisoned for allegedly insulting Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

The Taliban have defended these punishments as the enforcement of Islamic law.

However, rights groups and international observers argue that the continuation of such practices further isolates Afghanistan and heightens concerns over the protection of basic freedoms under Taliban rule.