UN Warns About The Spike In Public Executions In Afghanistan

On October 22, 2025, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, published a statement condemning the latest public execution in Afghanistan and calling on the de facto authorities to immediately impose a moratorium and abolish the use of the death penalty. The statement follows the de facto Supreme Court of Afghanistan announcing on October 16 that a man had been publicly executed in a sports stadium in Badghis province after being convicted of murder. At least 11 people have been publicly executed since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021, with half of them in 2025. UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett stressed: “The application of the death penalty anywhere is deeply troubling. In the context of Afghanistan, where the Taliban-controlled justice system lacks any semblance of independence or due process, it is especially alarming.”

The use of public executions reflects a broader pattern of human rights deterioration in Afghanistan. The Taliban takeover in August 2021 was followed by reports of gross human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, attacks on journalists and human rights defenders, gender persecution and gender apartheid, and much more. The severe restrictions on human rights are to ensure that there is no viable opposition to the Taliban, and their reign could continue unabated. The Taliban also dismantled the independent legal system and replaced it with a de facto system that flagrantly violates international standards. Apart from the specific targeting of legal professionals, the whole legal system in Afghanistan is collapsing. As reported by the UN experts in 2023, “There are no standardized procedures or substantive statutes in criminal or civil matters that police, judges, or lawyers can follow. (…) Some specialized courts, including those devoted to handling sexual and gender-based violence, have been dissolved. (…) Laws and rules concerning the legal procedure, judicial appointment, and procedures for fair trials, which were implemented by the previous government, were suspended. (…) Judicial independence has been abolished, as religious scholars have replaced judges. Key de facto judicial positions have been filled primarily by Taliban members with basic religious education, rather than legal experts.”

The public executions add to the severity of the situation in the country and are meant to spread fear among the people. The year 2025 has seen a significant increase in such executions. Indeed, on April 11, 2025, Afghanistan’s de facto Supreme Court announced that four men had been publicly executed as part of the Taliban’s Qisas (retribution in kind –in reference to religious law), punishments in Badghis (2), Farah (1) and Nimroz (1) provinces.

Commenting on the executions in Afghanistan, UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett reiterated concerns about the public nature of executions in Afghanistan, which not only dehumanize the convicted individual but also the society forced to witness them: “Under the Taliban, public executions and other cruel punishments are not only a horrifying form of violence, they are a deliberate tool used to control the population and instill fear. They must be unequivocally condemned.” UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett called upon the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to immediately halt all executions and establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, as a crucial first step toward its full abolition.

In addition to public executions, since the Taliban takeover of August 2021, the de facto authorities have also reintroduced floggings and other forms of corporal punishment, in violation of international human rights law. They are often imposed in cases of alleged sodomy, “illicit relationships” and other acts deemed by the Taliban as crimes. In 2025, more than 200 such punishments have been carried out since the beginning of 2025.

The dire situation in Afghanistan will continue as the world turns a blind eye. The gross violations of human rights perpetrated by the Taliban require comprehensive responses, including justice and accountability, at the domestic, regional and international level.