Capital punishment in Afghanistan

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Capital punishment refers to the execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction of a criminal offense.[1] Capital punishment is legal in Afghanistan and can be carried out secretly or publicly due to the current governmental system.[2][3] The main methods of execution employed by the Afghan government on convicts are hangings and shootings.[4] Stoning, amputation, and flogging are also sometimes used as a method for punishment, and were especially prominent during the late 1990s.[4] Public executions have existed throughout Afghanistan's history. The former Afghan government took important steps away from the use of the death penalty, but they have continued with the Taliban returning to power in August 2021.[4][5] Some executions have been recently condemned by the United Nations. UN experts have called on Afghan authorities "to halt immediately all forms of torturous, cruel, and degrading forms of punishments."[6] The capital offenses in Afghanistan include a range of crimes from murder to adultery, and are governed by Sharia, along with civil laws.[7]

  1. ^ "Capital punishment | Definition, Debate, Examples, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 3 November 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference TOLO-181095 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Afghan Lives Matter, stop the death penalty". EEAS - European External Action Service - European Commission. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Taliban hang dead bodies from cranes in city squares". 26 September 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Afghanistan: UN experts call on the Taliban to immediately halt public floggings and executions". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Death Penalty Worldwide". deathpenaltyworldwide.org. Archived from the original on 4 June 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2022.