KABUL, Afghanistan — A high-ranking judicial delegation from the Taliban traveled to Iran on Friday to explore alternatives to the execution of Afghan citizens in Iranian prisons, the Taliban’s Supreme Court announced.
The two-day visit, led by Abdul Malik Haqqani, the Taliban’s deputy administrative head of the Supreme Court, aims to strengthen judicial cooperation, secure the rights of Afghan prisoners in Iran, and discuss alternative measures to capital punishment.
During the visit, the delegation is scheduled to meet with Iran’s Minister of Justice, the head of the Prisoner Extradition Committee, and other senior officials, according to the court’s statement.
The visit comes against the backdrop of a sharp rise in the execution of Afghan citizens in Iran. According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, executions of Afghans in Iran surged nearly 300 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year.
The majority of executions were reportedly drug-related and carried out in the central Qezel Hesar prison. The group reported that at least 72 Afghan citizens have been executed in Iran in the current year alone.
This trend has intensified since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with rights organizations documenting an annual increase in the number of Afghans executed in Iran.
