Investigation Documents Over 107,000 Public Lashings in Afghanistan Since August 2021
An investigative report has documented that at least 2,737 to 2,757 individuals were publicly lashed in Afghanistan between August 2021 and March 2026, resulting in approximately 106,743 to 107,523 strikes. The findings are based on an analysis of 9,280 official newsletters published by the Taliban Supreme Court on social media, cross-referenced with data from international human rights organizations and government bodies.
The data indicates a consistent pattern of public corporal punishment used as a judicial measure. In 2025 alone, at least 1,110 individuals were subjected to public lashings, accounting for 43,290 recorded strikes. The report highlights that these punishments are part of a broader system of social control and political consolidation, with documented instances of severe due process violations. For example, a public lashing in Faizabad, Badakhshan province, in the spring of 2022 involved seven individuals who were reportedly arrested and punished without formal judicial procedures or access to legal counsel.
International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, state that the practice violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention Against Torture. The report notes that the documented figures likely represent a minimum threshold, as actual numbers are expected to be higher due to widespread underreporting, media restrictions, and public fear of reprisals. Researchers compiled the dataset alongside reports from the United Nations, the United States State Department, and the Tolerance Organization to verify the scope of the punishments.
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