UN Reports Continued Killings and Arbitrary Arrests by Taliban
DID Press: UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says the Taliban continued to carry out killings, arbitrary arrests, and torture of former Afghan security personnel between April and June 2026, while also expanding the use of public floggings, according to its latest quarterly human rights report.
UNAMA said that during the three-month reporting period, at least eight former members of Afghanistan’s security forces were killed, five were tortured, and 29 were arbitrarily detained. The mission warned that former government officials and security personnel—particularly those forcibly returned to Afghanistan—remain at serious risk of human rights violations.
The report also documented the continued public implementation of corporal punishment. Between April 1 and June 30, at least 137 people, including 112 men and 25 women, were publicly flogged in the presence of local Taliban officials and residents.
According to UNAMA, the Taliban stopped publicly announcing flogging sentences after April 22, but the practice has continued despite the absence of official disclosures.
The report further states that officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice punished individuals for alleged violations, including failing to comply with prescribed dress codes, wearing “Western-style” hairstyles, and playing or listening to music. During the reporting period, UNAMA documented 389 cases of arbitrary detention and 65 cases of ill-treatment linked to the ministry’s personnel.
According to the report and other documented data, more than 2,737 people were publicly flogged in Afghanistan between the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 and March 2026.
In 2025 alone, at least 1,110 people were subjected to public flogging, with the total number of recorded lashes exceeding 43,000. Researchers noted that the actual figures are likely higher, citing victims’ fear of reporting abuses, media restrictions, and the lack of official transparency.