Islamabad (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 22 March 2026) The Afghan Taliban flogged at least 1,186 people and carried out six public executions in Afghanistan over the past year (March 2025 to March 2026).
Official statements and data collected by an Afghan television channel, and derived from statements issued by the Taliban Supreme Court, indicate that corporal punishment continues to be applied in most parts of the country.
The total number does not include the last 12 days from July 11 to 22, meaning the actual number of lashings may be higher.
These sanctions occurred in dozens of provinces, including Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Khost, Badakhshan, Ghor, Paktia, Paktika, Faryab, Laghman, Kapisa, Parvan, Uruzgan, Zabul, Kunar, Maidan Wardak, Ghazni, Kunduz, Baghlan, Takhar, Badghis, Farah, Nimruz, Logar, and Jawzjan. Helmand, Sar-e-Pul, Daykundi, and Bamyan.
Taliban court data shows an increase in the use of corporal punishment during the final months of the year, with women also being subjected to such measures. Official data reveals that nearly 100 women were flogged over an eight-month period, with many of these punishments carried out in public.
Human rights advocates describe the expansion of corporal punishment as reflecting broader restrictions under Taliban rule, raising serious concerns about due process and fundamental freedoms.
Abdul Ahad Farzam, a human rights researcher, said that the continuation of these practices could lead to long-term consequences.
He added, “These sanctions violate basic human rights standards and create a climate of fear in society.”
Public executions also took place during the year under the principle of qisas, or retributive justice, with residents in at least four provinces witnessing such events.
Recently, a man was executed in Sports The stadium in Khost with thousands of spectators, including children. Other executions were reported in Badghis (where three people were executed), as well as one person in Farah and Nimruz.
In addition, the Taliban issued a new penal code during the year, which sparked widespread international criticism for its seriousness and lack of adequate due process protections.
The group also intensified repressive measures against the opposition. In one case in Kapisa Province, a man received 39 lashes and was sentenced to one year and six months in prison for what the Taliban called “propaganda against the regime.” In another case in Badghis, a person was flogged and imprisoned for insulting Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada.
The Taliban movement defended these sanctions as an implementation of Islamic law.
However, human rights groups and international observers argue that the continuation of such practices further isolates Afghanistan and raises concerns about the protection of basic freedoms under Taliban rule.