Capital punishment in
Afghanistan is legal and could be carried out secretly or publicly.[1][2] The convict could be hanged or shot to death.
Stoning,
amputation, and
flogging were also sometimes used as a method for punishment, especially during the late 1990s.[3][4]Public executions have existed throughout
Afghanistan's history. They have continued with the
Taliban returning to power in August 2021. Some executions were recently condemned by the
United Nations.[5] The capital offenses in Afghanistan generally include heinous crimes such as
mass murder and are governed by
Sharia, along with civil laws.[6]
Capital offences
The capital offences include the serious crimes and are governed by
Sharia laws, along with civil laws. The capital offences includes:[7]
June 2011 – Two mass killers were executed by
hanging in Pul-e-Charkhi prison. One of the killers was Zar Ajam,[10] a 17-year-old from
Waziristan, Pakistan, who had randomly shot dead 40 people inside a branch of
New Kabul Bank in
Jalalabad.[11][12]
November 2012 – Fourteen prisoners were hanged inside Pul-e-Charkhi prison.[13][14]
October 2014 – Five men were executed by hanging inside Pul-e-Charkhi prison. The men were accused of robbery and gang rapes.[15][16]
May 2016 – Six men were executed by hanging inside Pul-e-Charkhi prison on charges of
terrorism.[17][18]
December 2022 – One man who had confessed to murder was executed in public at a crowded sports stadium in
Farah Province.[1][19] This is the first instance of public execution since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.[5]
22 February 2024 – Two men were executed for separate murders after being shot by relatives of their victims at stadium in
Ghazni.[20]