Taliban have flogged 53 people in public across eight provinces over the past two weeks, according to data compiled from statements by the Taliban’s Supreme Court. The figure marks a fourfold increase compared with the same period last month.
Most of the punishments — 40 cases — were carried out in the capital, Kabul, with others recorded in Maidan Wardak, Baghlan, Badakhshan, Paktia, Kapisa, Balkh and Daikundi provinces. Offenses listed included forgery, gambling, alcohol consumption and, in at least one case, “propaganda against the system,” a vague charge that critics say can be used to criminalize dissent.
Last week, Taliban sentenced a man in Kapisa province to 39 lashes and a year and a half in prison for allegedly spreading anti-Taliban views. Rights activists say such punishments are meant to instill fear and silence any opposition.
“Most worrying is flogging people for so-called propaganda against the Taliban, a charge so broad it could cover criticism, protest, or even a casual remark on social media,” said Abdul Ahad Farzam, a human rights advocate. “This is about suppressing all voices of dissent.”
The rise in corporal punishment comes amid a broader surge in public executions and floggings since the start of the Islamic calendar year, according to Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan. Speaking at a Human Rights Watch forum on Tuesday, Bennett said the number of such punishments had roughly doubled compared with last year.
A recent UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) report found that in the first three months of 2025, 179 people, including 35 women, were flogged in public. The United Nations has repeatedly urged the Taliban to immediately end such practices, calling them cruel and inhuman.
