Capital punishment in Afghanistan
# Capital punishment in Afghanistan

Capital punishment in Afghanistan is legal and could be carried out secretly or publicly. 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. 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. The capital offenses generally include heinous crimes such as mass murders and are governed by Sharia, along with civil laws.

## Capital offences

The capital offences include the serious crimes and are governed by Sharia laws, along with civil laws. The capital offences includes:

* Adultery
* Fornication
* Murder
* Apostasy
* Arson
* Blasphemy
* Homosexual intercourse
* Espionage
* Perjury
* Terrorism

## Notable executions

* 1999/2000 - A Taliban executioner executes a woman in public.
* April 2004 – Abdullah Shah was executed inside the Pul-e-Charkhi prison outside Kabul.
* October 2007 – Fifteen prisoners were executed by shooting inside Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul, including Reza Khan.
* June 2011 – Two mass killers were executed by hanging in Pul-e-Charkhi prison. One of the killers was Zar Ajam, a 17-year-old from Waziristan, Pakistan, who had randomly shot dead 40 people inside a branch of Kabul Bank in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
* November 2012 – Fourteen prisoners were hanged inside Pul-e-Charkhi prison.
* October 2014 – Five men were executed by hanging inside Pul-e-Charkhi prison. The men were accused of robbery and gang rapes.
* May 2016 – Six men were executed by hanging inside Pul-e-Charkhi prison on the charges of terrorism.
* December 2022 - One man who had confessed to murder was executed in public at a crowded sports stadium in south-western Farah Province. This is the first instance of public execution since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
