GENEVA (3 March 2026) – The Taliban’s increasing use
of judicially-sanctioned corporal punishment, inflicted in
public, often for so called moral crimes in Afghanistan,
violates international human rights law, UN experts* warned
today.
“Corporal punishment is an offence against
human dignity and physical integrity, and, depending on its
severity, would amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading
punishment and/or torture. It should be halted
immediately,” the experts said.
In 2025 alone, more
men and women were subjected to public flogging than in all
previous years combined since the Taliban returned to power
in 2021. Early indications in 2026 suggest that the rate of
such punishments may continue to escalate.
In 2025,
Afghanistan’s de facto Supreme Court announced public
“floggings” of at least 1,110 individuals, including at
least 940 men and 170 women. This nearly doubles the number
of individuals subjected to such punishments in 2024, with
at least 567 individuals (at least 480 men and 87 women)
flogged.
In January 2026, the de facto Supreme Court
reported the public flogging of 147 men and 15 women, one of
the highest monthly totals since the practice began
officially in late 2022. The overwhelming majority are men
accused of crimes such as theft, selling or using drugs and
alcohol, and gambling. However, women, girls, and LGBT+
persons face a heightened risk of punishment for so-called
“moral” crimes such as adultery, “illicit
relationships”, and “sodomy.” The experts stressed
that the use of corporal punishment for so-called moral
crimes is a manifestation of a broader system of
institutionalised gender-based discrimination and control,
incompatible with Afghanistan’s international
obligations.
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According to the experts, official
records do not include the ages of the victims, nor is there
any information about their mental and intellectual
capacity. There have also been cases of children being
flogged. Corporal punishment, often 39 lashes, is frequently
combined with sentences of imprisonment. The floggings are
carried out in public by Taliban officials, with local
residents, including children, compelled to
attend.
“We are appalled that corporal punishment
sentences are being imposed in a judicial system that lacks
independence, due process guarantees and other fundamental
safeguards, as well as other serious deficiencies that fail
to address the legitimate grievances of victims,” the
experts said.
They warned that the “criminal rules
of courts” published in January 2026 could further expand
the use of such illegal penalties.
The experts also
condemned the execution of 12 men in Afghanistan after the
Taliban retook power and called for an immediate moratorium
and a review of the application of the death penalty in line
international law requirements, including considering its
abolition.
Afghanistan is a state party to the
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment and International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights, both of which prohibit
conduct amounting to corporal punishment. The Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against also
makes it clear that women are protected against
violence.
“The de facto authorities are bound by
Afghanistan’s obligations under those treaties,” the
experts said.
“Punishments carried out without due
process, and which themselves constitute human rights
violations, cannot be considered justice,” they
said.
“The international community must speak out
more forcefully on the human rights crisis in
Afghanistan,” the experts said. “This must include
demanding due process guarantees and insisting on a
moratorium on corporal and capital punishment with a view to
their abolition.”
*The
experts:
- Richard
Bennett, Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in
Afghanistan; - Claudia
Flores (Chair), Ivana Krstić (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada
Tanck, Haina Lu, and Laura Nyirinkindi, Working
Group on discrimination against women and
girls; - Reem
Alsalem, Special
Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes
and consequences; - Morris
Tidball-Binz, Special
Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary
executions, and - Alice Jill
Edwards, Special
Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or
Punishment
